


Division of the Wild

by Bleachcake, Lendra



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Angst, Animal Transformation, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Minor Midorima Shintarou/Takao Kazunari, Omega Verse, Psychological Drama, Sexual Content, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Suspense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-25
Updated: 2016-07-06
Packaged: 2018-05-09 07:18:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 58,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5530742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bleachcake/pseuds/Bleachcake, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lendra/pseuds/Lendra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <br/>
    <i>
      <b>Chapter 8</b>
    </i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>Kise didn’t respond. He made no indication he had even heard the remark, did not move to inspect the blood on his nose and gazed with glassy, apathetic eyes out into the expanse blurred with motion and people; eyes that were unable to fully swallow the spark of contempt. </i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>For once, Kise seemed to blend into the mundane background, and Kasamatsu was at a loss for words. </i>
  </p>
  <p><i>"This sucks." The fox whispered and Kasamatsu did the favor of pretending not to hear it.</i><br/>  </p>
</blockquote>For a human, finding your soulmate is a promise of happiness and a future never to be spent alone. For shifters, it's not so grandiose. Cut and dry, a shifter's nose is what leads them to their fated partner and the most notable difference? Shifters have no choice whom they end up with. Most care little and have accepted it as part of their culture. Even so, there are still a few determined to fight against the inevitable and will stop at nothing to achieve such a goal.
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_'Soulmate' -_  definition being: a person ideally suited to another as a close friend or romantic partner, and a word commonly associated with grandiose romantics in works of fiction and other sources of media. The term was simplistic and straightforward, yet it had become almost universally accepted that the true understanding or proof of soulmates was unknown. Who was to say who were soulmates and who were not, after all? 

 

It was a term humanity coined to satisfy the ever present sense of longing, giving a hopeful and exciting motivation to pursuing others upon the notion that some celestial, inexplicable force of the cosmos drew two souls together. There was undeniable evidence in some cases that such a belief was, indeed, true as there were cases of strangers happening upon each other in whatever entanglement destiny forged for them and chemistry, explosive and alive, would burst into full bloom upon contact.

 

Of course, it was difficult to say whether such individuals were, indeed, soul mates as opposed to having personalities that simply worked well with one another. It boiled down to the argument of hard science and the spiritual approach. The diversity of opinion on the topic was vast and festive amidst humanity, but despite the variety of such belief, there was almost always a ubiquitous desire for it to be tangible, palpable, _real._

 

Humans were, at their very core, hopeful little beings that sought the idea of the unique one-and-only crafted by the heavens just for them.

 

For shifters, however, circumstances were far more black and white. 

 

Enviable as it may have appeared for the human race, finding a corresponding 'soul mate' was relatively cut and dry and arguably attributed solely to the chemical makeup of a shifter's very unique DNA; not the rather flowery and innocent perception of souls drawn to one another by will of some omnipotent deity. 

 

Shifters were, simply put, human animals. Behaving much like such simplistic summation implied, shifters operated on human intelligence while responding with animal instinct. Their bodies were anywhere between entirely human or entirely animal, such being dependent upon circumstances at present and controllable to their will. The diversity of shifters matched that of humanity and, despite the inevitable few opposed to either species, both were ultimately harmonious. 

 

Soul mates, however, were the wild cards.

 

The difference between human and shifter when it came to that could not be more stark than the brightest glow of day and the lifeless dead of night. Such became the divide of a shifter being human and a shifter being animal.

 

There was no soul involved.

 

\--

 

"GOTCHA~!" 

 

The outcry of exuberance, followed by the stamping of two little feet and equally little hands after having pounced into place was immediately followed by the whine of disappointment as such a declaration had been false.

 

There was no one under the porch steps. 

 

Hoisting his little body from all fours up onto his feet, golden eyes peered about with little brows furrowed and round cheeks puffed in frustration. He had been  _certain_ that was where the other was hiding...! 

 

Put out and feeling somewhat guileful, fluffy ears faded gold and auburn were flattening a bit as honey eyes scanned about for any spectators who could snitch before deftly and, being as inconspicuous as possible, lifted a nose to sniff the air once, twice, then thrice.

 

A tail like a plume of feathery fire (or more accurately, a dollop of colored whipped cream) twitched and stoop upright while the ears that had flattened against a little head of goldenrod perked right up once more.

 

Having caught scent, the little boy was down on all fours and bounding up the porch steps and toward an open terrace that provided more steps up to the next level.

 

Surely he couldn't lose  _this_  time. Even if he'd have to bend the rules juuust a little, it really only seemed fair.  
  
_He's too good at hiding_.  
  
But even now that he was sure he was close after catching that scent he was all too familiar with, where it lead to exactly wasn't quite as clear. He _had_ to be out there. The trail had been the strongest at that particular point.  
  
The fluffy, feather-duster tail swayed slightly, ears tipped forward to funnel in any sound that would aid him in finding his intended target. At school, this wouldn't even be a competition. He found others with ease, even without the boost from his sharp nose. But this play date in particular always somehow wound up with a similar end.   
  
Maybe he could sneak another small whiff of the air; It wasn't fun if he couldn't win.

 

Little chin tipping up, ears swiveling back, the little sunshiny boy was about to do just that. But his heart was thundering, gold eyes wide and pupils shifting shape for just a moment as a gleam of white teeth and piercing blues was eclipsing his sight. The next moment passed with a flurry of fur, tiny limbs, and his nose promptly pressed to the smooth stone tile of the terrace. The warm body pressed down to his back was unmistakable and so frustrating in that moment.

 

As predicted, it ended as it always did.  
  
"A-Aominecchiii --" The sound was a troubled whine, ears back and feet scratching at the floor while he wriggled. "You're not supposed to do that!! You're hiding!!!"  
  
A light little chuckle came from above, clearly not affected by the frustrations that came after having injury added to insult.  
  
"You were taking too long - and you were wide open!" There was far too much excitement in those words for someone who clearly wasn't taking the rules seriously. The small fox child pinned to the floor only wriggled more in his growing frustration.  
  
"The rules say --"  
  
"You can't use your nose."  
  
Heat flushed across his face at having his sentence finished so abruptly, body stilling once he realized he'd been caught. Of course, like any competition-loving little boy, he still shook his head, tentatively speaking in a half-hearted lie.   


"I didn't."

 

Blue eyes gleamed gleefully, triumphantly as Kise's pout was indication enough that he had pinned the fox dead on and had caught him red handed. 

 

A sleek yet somewhat fluffy, inky black tail flicked and coiled about playfully as the boy identified as 'Aomine'(cchi) found little annoyance at his playmate breaking the rules as he had, ultimately, won their tussle of sorts. 

 

"You haven't beaten me yet, Kise~ you'll have to be sneakier but even then I don't think you could best me." He cackled mirthfully, a boyish grin splitting his face with a rift of confidence, not at all considerate of reigning in his cheeky attitude. He knew how to rile the fox, and nothing worked better than talking down to the prideful boy with golden eyes. 

 

Aomine nearly squealed in exhilaration as, quite unexpectedly, the amber eyed fox boy was charging him, pitching forward in attempts to catch him by surprise and wrestle him into a submissive position, but Aomine had agility on his side, dodging the attack with a giggle before darting down the hall; Kise hot on his trail.

 

Ever since they'd been introduced at a very young age, the two boys had established a game of hierarchy with one another, constantly attempting to best the other through play or superfluous, innocent competition. Arguably, much of their power play stemmed from the animalistic sides to themselves. 

 

As it often did, Kise and Aomine had chased one another around the home in such a fit of exuberance and instinct, the two had fully transformed as a fuzzy little fox cub was pouncing the petite and somewhat roly-poly panther cub; only to be easily pinned while one of his black tipped ears was lightly clamped between teeth and tugged. 

 

Their rough housing was cut short quite abruptly as a pair of individuals were stepping into the room adjacent to theirs and immediately filling the otherwise silent house with sudden excited chatter.

 

Kise perked up from where he remained somewhat covered by Aomine and his paws, pushing up onto all fours and making to trot over and greet his siblings before a small hand was clasping the thick of his cream puff tail and tugging him back with little regard. 

 

Nearly forced into transforming back at the current of pain from the rough treatment, Kise's little body abruptly shifted back halfway to whip teary ambers with brows guttered and accusatory.  Any complaint he was ready to wail at his friend, however, was cut short by another hand slapping over his mouth. 

 

"Shhhh!!" Aomine hissed, gesturing further silence with a finger to his lips. He leaned in, whispering to the fox once he deemed his warning effective enough. 

 

"I wanna hear what they're saying~" Aomine confessed with a mischievous curve to the corner of his mouth. Perhaps in time his intention would be less than innocent, but his desire to eavesdrop on Kise's older sisters was purely based on childish rabble rousing. 

 

Plus, their scent was a little bizarre that day.  

 

It was natural to not want to allow his playmate to drop the subject of abusing his tail, but the peculiar scent of his sisters, not to mention their excited, somewhat hushed banter, was enough to set that desire aside for now. This seemed far more interesting than bickering at the moment.   
  
Both young boys, ears up and turned forward, crept closer to the door frame. Any danger of being found out by smell seemed to be eclipsed by the girls' eager gossip.   
  
"So he didn't get in trouble?!" The eldest was surprisingly the one probing for questions, her voice carrying the slightest undertone of skepticism, but it seemed disbelief wasn't enough to stop the Q&A. The little panther boy leaned a bit closer, hunched underneath Kise while they both pressed to hear, sensing this was something interesting indeed.  
  
"I don't know -- The teacher tried to say something, but right when the ball rang, he marched right in, grabbed her arm, and they ran out into the hall! They couldn't keep their hands off each other-"   
  
"What type were they?!"

 

"Cats. And a couple of the other cats started acting weird too. Like...it was super uncomfortable. They just smelled weird-"  
  
Their young brother from the other room had knit his brows, taking a quick glance down to the feline shifter below him, catching a small glimpse of the open-mouthed concentration painted on his face, especially when his 'type' was mentioned. With fingers in his collar, he had to actually pull the panther back from creeping into the room even further and blowing their cover.   
  
His knees bent, dropping down to a squat to cup a small hand over one of his soft black ears, whispering directly into it with a little huff. "Aominecchi -- Don't- They'll catch us. 

 

The thin, dark and wispy-haired tail began to flick back and forth impatiently, but his feet stayed planted in one spot, dark blues fixed on the other room. There was an aura around him slightly different from the fox, an investment in the conversation that seemed to reach a peak with the next question.  
  
"You really think they were  _mates?_ "

 

At the emphasized word, Kise and Aomine exchanged inquisitive looks of wonder, quite curious as they had certainly heard that word spoken before, but no matter their insistence, any information concerning the matter was almost always quickly dismissed. The most detailed explanation they had received was that they were too young to understand it, and for someone like Aomine, that kind of excuse was one to scoff at. 

 

He was always eager to hear more, and as it stood, Kise's sisters were unknowingly going to provide.

 

With eyes starry and glimmering with curiosity, the two boys huddled together, both ears perked in deliberation and angled forward in sharp attention.

 

"I don't know, I can't say for sure, it was so quick. But they definitely smelled different than usual." Their voices were buzzing with energy and conspiracy, feeding off the thrill of the information as the elder of the two continued to jibe her younger for information.

 

"I mean, they're upperclassmen, maybe it's their time-- but -- that's so  _weird!_ I've never  _seen_ it before!" Despite the seemingly displeased reaction, the tone of her voice suggested she was actually quite entertained and all the more interested in the topic at hand. 

 

"You think Yukimura-kun would be my mate~?" there was a dreamy lilt to the younger's voice, indicating her dramatics were intended to be taken facetiously, though the older still retaliated with a laugh while she shoved her sister's leg with exuberance. 

 

"Ew, stop! You're too young for that! Yukimura-san isn't even that amazing, you just like him because he plays soccer." There was no denial from the younger one, and in fact she was simply laughing and commenting on how a sport did well to chisel a regular man into an  _irresistible_ one. Once again, she was being scolded for her lewd remarks by her elder sister, though every exchange remained lighthearted. Their laughter faded, and the younger spoke in a tone just a bit more serious than before.

 

"Honestly, though... I hope I don't have to wait too long to find my mate. I get these jitters just thinking about it." 

 

"I could stand to wait until I'm older. I want a mate, but--- " suddenly, the elder was stiffening and immediately redirecting her gaze elsewhere. The energy of the conversation having died, there was no distraction from the unmistakable scent of a little fox pup and his ever shameless playmate. With senses sharp and aware of her little brother's habits when it came to the panther cub's troublemaker influences, she stood right up, turned right around and pulled open the door with gusto; Kise and Aomine tumbling in with little yelps of surprise.

 

"Ryouta!!" The younger sister, now standing from where she had been perched on the couch, clicked her tongue and marched across the floor, footfalls soft with her socks, though somehow still intimidating to the young boys...or at least one of them.   
  
The little panther didn't seem deterred in the slightest by being caught. Rather, this seemed like a prime opportunity to ask the questions he wanted directly. Arms folding over her under-developed chest, the younger joined her sibling in casting unamused glares to the eavesdroppers, their ears and tails flicking in irritated twitches. Brown eyes, quite similar to that of their brother's, though hardened by the mood stared down as well.   
  
"What did mom tell you about being a little creep?" A little flinch came from the fox below, ears back, though he'd already jumped to his own defense against his sibling closest in age.   
  
"I--I wasn't!! Aominecchi w-"  
  
"What's a mate?"  
  
Kise hadn't finished his sentence before the plain question was asked from just to his left. A small bout of silence came, all three pairs of honey colored eyes falling to the blue that were staring up unblinkingly at the girls before them. Clearly punishment wasn't a fear in mind. Then again, this boy was known for pushing boundaries.   
  
A large puff of air cut the silence, the eldest sister shifting, pushing a bit of blonde, similar to the shade her brother wore as well, over her shoulder, neatly tucking it behind her ear.   
  
"That's not something kids need to know-"  
  
The words were met with a frown, a wrinkling of his nose and a black tail twitching and flicking in displeasure itself. This answer again.   
  
"What's wrong with knowing something? It's happening to people, right?" His logic, though seemingly simplistic in nature, was also hard to fight against. An anxious glance was cast from his playmate, looking to the two girls he was reared with in nervousness, though the curiosity was gnawing at him as well. He wanted to avoid trouble, but wasn't going to pass up a chance to hearing some of his sisters' 'adult' gossip.   
  
"It's not happening to anyone you know, so it doesn't ma-"  
  
"That's a lie." The younger sister had been cut off, almost taken aback with the speed at which the boy had done so, as well as the gall it took for such a little kid to call her out. Getting in trouble with her parents for blabbing to her brother and his buddy was not something worth trading. Preparing a comeback was easy, but it wouldn't get put to use before he was responding again.  
  
"A lady said my parents aren't mates. So is it only younger people? Is it people in love?"

 

There was a silence that permeated the room, one Kise caught on to quickly as his ears went back and he was peering up hesitantly at his elder sisters with wide, diffident honey eyes before slowly peering back at the panther cub standing defiantly before them. 

 

"...Aominecchi..." Kise murmured, sounding as though he intended to continue his sentence, perhaps provoke something out of the dark skinned boy, and though he was unable to verbalize it, he was slowly extending his little hand outward and coiled his fingers into Aomine's; feeling compelled to do as such for reasons unknown.

 

The silence was broken as the eldest was giving a boisterous sigh, her tail fluffing  as she hopped forward with one step and squat down to Aomine's level; expression unamused but not accusatory. She was used to little boys pushing their boundaries, and though Kise was being quite subservient to their obvious displeasure, he was often as fiery and stubborn as Aomine. Clearly the blue eyed cub didn't have siblings, that much was obvious.

 

"First of all-" She was punctuating the start to her sentence by promptly flicking his nose hard enough to evoke a dynamic reaction from Aomine, black ears going back and tail frizzing while his hand not held by Kise's was slapping over the injured appendage and tears pricked at the corners of his eyes. Immediately, he was ready to respond back with fire and brimstone or all that could be accumulated by someone so young. However, he was silence as she continued, and it appeared he was more curious about her words than he was upset by her method of starting.

 

"Don't be rude to your elders. Or really, don't be rude period. Eavesdropping will only get you in trouble." She scolded, though the action was far more doting than mean spirited. Kise's fingers tightened as he watched his sister, trained on her as he'd received the same sort of sisterly guidance from her before.

 

"Secondly, I don't need to tell you anything, so acting like I owe you an explanation will probably make people angry and less likely to tell you." Aomine couldn't really argue as much as he wanted to, the panther boy having drawn in a breath and stiffening in hesitation as he tried to think of a retort, but he only managed one word before she pressed on. 

 

"A mate is someone fated to you." The younger sister was leaning forward, brows furrowing as she seemed a bit unsure that her elder sister was making the right choice to tell the young boys. She, however, did not make to stop and remained quiet; gathering up her fluffy, downy tail and began to stroke it as she listened with ears perked forward. 

 

Aomine was steadfast in his focus, the hand that had been cupping his smarting nose having dropped to the side while blue eyes were wide in concentration despite the remaining beads of tears.

 

"It's a person who takes over all your senses, someone you're destined to be with for your life. Humans call them Soul Mates, though that is far more rare for them than for us. It's something almost all shifters wish for and it is a very special part of the Coming of Age for our kind." Reaching a hand out, she was plopping it down atop Aomine's head and ruffling it in a somewhat affectionate manner. 

 

"That's what a mate is." She lifted her hand, pressed them to her knees and popped out of her squat; sighing as she finished up her little life lesson. "Now scram, I don't feel like babysitting anymore." She huffed, tossing her silky golden hair over her shoulder dismissively. At even the slightest bit of protest, with Aomine jerking forward and starting out with a desperate 'But--!', she was casting dangerous, narrowed eyes of golden slits down at the two boys with tail bristling and teeth bared.

 

" _Out._ " 

 

Even if Aomine remained unfazed, Kise knew better and was tugging the panther cub by the hand with no argument to the strength of his pull. The little panther wouldn't have admitted to being intimidated, but the thundering of his tiny heart was indication enough; the two playmates making their fast get away as they barreled down the stairs and into the large garden outback.

 

They were panting softly when finally out in the safe haven of the garden, both having made a beeline for their regular hang out spot; a little clearing of branches inside one of the hedges at the edge of the Kise property. It created almost a sort of cave inside the green bush, the earth packed down from days and days of playing inside the live fort.   
  
To bring up the conversation again right after being scolded seemed natural to avoid, but the feline boy had more than a natural sense of curiosity. His brain was already working together the bit of knowledge shared while he had only just now dropped the small hand of his closest friend. The gears turned as small black ears and tail continued to twitch.   
  
“You have to be with one person forever…?” The comment was soft, almost amazed at the idea of something seemingly so permanent, though somehow it was also outlined with a ring of displeasure.  
  
“But…what if you don’t like just one person? What if they’re a jerk to you one day?” His gaze turned to the blond beside him, both their eyes still very much alive with wonder at finally being shared a scrap of knowledge about these ‘adult’ matters.   
  
The grubby seat of his pants hit the dirt as he plopped into a sitting squat.  
  
“Do you get to pick?”

 

Kise had managed to catch his breath in that time, never one to incur the wrath of his sisters by choice. Much like the habits his family had, Kise was taking that moment to primp himself just a bit, tugging his fluffy tail into his lap to play rather than preen, but it was habit all the same.

 

His ears twitched a bit, somewhat plump pink cheeks ballooning and face pouting in thought before he was softly shaking his head.

 

"I don't know...It doesn't  _sound_ like it..." 

 

Kise shrugged lightly after a moment, shaking his head out as his silky hair was falling back into place from it being somewhat in disarray with their hasty get away. As he was still young and much of his animal instinct had not been weeded into what was proper and improper for which forms they took, Kise was lifting his leg, tilting his head and allowed his foot to scratch the back of his ear a few times and rather slowly as his dexterity was still being developed.

 

Once finished he shook out his head again with a little trill, looking pleased to have satisfied the itch as his ears perked right up in jubilance. Nothing felt quite as good as scratching the right spot. 

 

He turned his dewy gaze over to his best friend, head cocking as he'd been thinking on the topic a bit himself, and felt the need to cater to Aomine's interests.

 

"Who would you  _want_ for a mate, Aominecchi?"

 

Dark, yet thin brows lifted, relaying an expression of mild surprise with a seemingly obvious question. 

 

Who? He'd only just learned the meaning of it, something he was still trying to wrap his brain around with still so many questions left in his head. It had to be someone fate chose... but what exactly was that?

 

Someone he'd be with forever…  
  
"Well it would probably be you, right?" A head tilt accompanied the simple answer, small fingers beginning to scratch in the packed dirt absentmindedly while the tail still covered in kitten fur swayed gently behind. He and Kise spent the most time together recently, usually prompted by the dark-skinned young shifter simply showing up unannounced and the family of foxes, sometimes reluctantly, allowing him in and occasionally providing snacks or meals.   
  
He was just becoming a regular there after things had taken a somewhat strange turn with his other companion; the petal pink haired girl he'd met while chasing after small insects in the park under his mother's supervision. The long and tall ears she had intrigued him, though when he grabbed at the stubby tail he saw poking from her jumper, he received a quick smack to the cheek.   
  
They had a playdate by that weekend. But lately things had been different; he wasn't allowed to drop by the house as he did at the Kise's. The rabbit girl, her long hair looking a bit duller and unbrushed, would quietly tell him she couldn't play that day, but it never stopped him from trying. He'd even come to leave presents of wild flowers or pretty stones by her door instead of knocking. Girls liked pretty things, right? Hopefully she would come to play soon.  
  
"We'll probably be friends for our whole lives, so that would be fine, right?" Sure, they bickered and Kise could be kind of a wimp sometimes, but they had fun together and his house was nice and the food good. He could see himself doing this forever. 

 

At such a confession, Kise was perking right up, his big eyes brightening at Aomine's rather straightforward answer as the panther cub wasn't exactly the most affectionate being. Of course, Kise wasn't sure Aomine understood the implications, and call it an influence of having two elder sisters, Kise was a bit more aware as to _why_ his sisters were so interested in talking about such a foreign topic.

 

With cheeks flushing the lightest bit of pink, mostly due to the excitement of being deemed someone so important, Kise was cocking his head a bit and grinning as his tail swished.

 

"Aominechhi~" he chided, giggling lightly before he was gingerly itching his nose by swiping it against his forearm. "I don't think it's about _friends_ being together forever. I think it's more serious stuff...like having a wife or something." 

 

However, the fox was simply beaming, not exactly used to being deemed a best friend as he was often singled out in school as of recent. When he was much younger, playing in large groups of kids was never an issue, but as he had turned eight years old and was getting just a bit older, there was something that was setting him apart from his fellow student. It wasn't all bad, and in many ways, Kise was fond of the attention.

 

Aomine, however, was someone he admired, and having his praise was kind of exhilarating, rare as it was. He was leaning forward on all fours, getting closer to Aomine as his tail swayed about happily.

 

"You really think we'll be friends forever~?" his eyes were like stars, cheeks all rosy with delight.

 

"Don't get all excited, dummy-" A dirt smudged hand pushed against one of the fox boy's squishy cheeks, effectively pushing him back, though the slight red on his tan face gave away his true nature to the subject of others wanting to spend time with him.   
  
"Of course we will. And who wants a wife right now? That's boring--" A small, confident snort puffed from him, tail straightening, though one of the habitual ticks from his species kicked in as he began licking the back of his hand to smooth back hair by his temple. The action smeared some dirt on his forehead. Even if it was a habit to clean, it never promised effectiveness.   
  
"Satsuki already said she wouldn't marry me. Just because of a stupid frog..." The idea that she didn't think frogs were as cool as he did seemed to put him out more than the idea that he'd been rejected as a future husband. He was honest and simplistic, but with a knack for downplaying his own emotions and glossing over situations that were far more serious than he liked to acknowledge. Playing with Kise was one of the few times he felt he could really let loose and vent his emotions, even if they were not always savory...or received well by the whining, teary eyed blond. 

 

The little fox boy made a little yip of disapproval as Aomine shoved him and was immediately wiping at his face; shaking his head a bit after as his hair fluffed out and his ears flicked with the motion. 

 

He couldn't be deterred from his earlier mood, however, as he was grinning broadly, beaming as his eyes twinkled. 

 

"It's nice to hear~ I like playing with Aominecchi so I'm happy~" he crooned, tail wagging contentedly before he was quickly distracted by a lady bug that flew by; suddenly alert and beginning to playfully pounce at it. 

 

Aomine, ever insistent in proving he was no child, snorted at Kise's antics as the fox boy gave chase to the little speckled insect.  

 

"Pft~ you're such a kid." Aomine laughed, completely ignorant as he was gearing up himself, excitement in his blue gaze and, poising himself a moment, he lunged at Kise and easily caught the blond boy by surprise; pinning him after pouncing and going after one of Kise's fluffy little ears in a fit of innocent wrestling. 

 

Both boys were easily roped back into play, more or less forgetting about the conversation of mating for the time being as they wrestled and pawed, once again reverting to their fully shifted forms of panther cub and fox kit. They romped in the garden, making noises once in a while; little growls and grunts, occasionally whines when the tiny, golden fox would be pinned into the grass or his fluffy tail tugged by a mouth full of feline teeth.   
  
As it did many times in the past, the rough housing eventually slowed, the pace usually controlled by the somewhat roly-poly panther cub as he had a tendency to plop large paws over the fox's back when he was finished, settling down with tongue out and tail gently swishing. It was the telltale sign a grooming session was about to start, one that wouldn't be interrupted even with protests, human or animal.   
  
Being as tidy as he generally was, however, the boy with marigold hair couldn't find much to complain about. The rough, pink tongue that lapped over his black-tipped ears was actually ideal for grooming. Crude an individual as he was, Aomine gave surprisingly good baths, as sporadic as they were. It seemed to come only with those he deemed close friends as well. The only other Kise had witnessed being a victim to the random tongue baths was the pink rabbit girl he'd met only on rare occasions. He had to admit, as much as he was fond of her, he had a hard time being around her, his natural instincts leading him to want to pounce her, especially the single time he witnessed her shifted form when running from Aomine with a handful of earthworms. If he hadn't been running from the worms too, he probably would have been running after the fleeing rabbit.

 

Aomine paid little mind to the implications as his actions were nothing more than a nonchalant gesture of sincere friendship and comfort, dragging his sandpaper tongue along the fur and nipping here and there at the tinniest mats he would find; that being virtually none for the kit as his fur was still fluffy and almost impossible to muss up.

 

Perhaps were his parents a bit more diligent, they would have picked up on such a habit and dissuaded him from continuing, but they were not and thus, Aomine felt there little reason to resist when the mood was right and the person suited it. Such truly only consisted of Kise and Momoi, though the pink haired bunny girl was more vocal about her protests as Aomine was a bit too rough at times and, as she was quick to constantly remind him, bunnies were very fragile and required extra care and concern. 

 

Though the black panther cub had snorted at her scolding and nearly rolled his eyes, there was little denying the far more tender approach he'd attempted with her the next time he'd managed to pull her into a grooming session. Admittedly, Kise felt a bit envious of Momoi as her expression was one of pure elation and contentment. Being boys, Aomine was rough by nature with the golden eyed fox and Kise wouldn't deny he found their rather rough play to be exhilarating, but he was a bit more delicate than he cared to admit. He could take the beating, certainly, he simply preferred the gentler sides of things sometimes. Thus when Aomine took to grooming him as well, he couldn't find it in him to protest, even if it was still rougher than the way he started grooming Momoi. 

 

"Aominecchi~!" 

 

Aomine was peering up then, having been grooming himself, tongue out and eyes lazy and otherwise unfazed.

 

"Dai-chan~!" 

 

One ear flicked back and Aomine tossed his head around to peer behind him, feeling as though the voice was coming from no direction in particular. Sniffing as he saw nothing, he was going to go back to grooming before the voice, a bit louder this time, interrupted him once more.

 

"Dai-chan!" 

 

He snorted, rather irritated as he couldn't locate the voice that was calling him and, strangely enough, couldn't exactly recognize who it was either. The images of his surroundings seemed distant, and all the sudden, he could feel himself becoming a bit faint; opening his voice to bark back a response before he was blinking awake and staring dazedly up at a pair of pink eyes.

 

The sudden settling sensation in his gut, as though he had been falling through the air, rushed through him and the wave of reality came back with a resounding ripple through him. A bizarre sadness crept over him as he stared up at the endless sky and basked in the surreal feeling of nostalgia.

 

 Ah…he’d been dreaming again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lendra: Thank you all so much for taking time to start reading this story! As with my other story "Scripted Fidelity", this one is jointly written with my girlfriend so I apologize for any seeming inconsistencies. We've always really loved this kind of theme and after having read a few works of it, we wanted to take a stab at it ourselves! 
> 
> Also, just to be clear, there will be no Aomine x Kise in this story. We're often troubled by the lack of interpersonal relations between characters that aren't paired together. People can still be really close with one another without it having to be romantic and we wanted to implement that with Kise and Aomine (and a few others to come in this story). I apologize to anyone who got excited about it, I just wanted to clarify!
> 
> We hope you enjoy it and a Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates and a happy holiday season to everyone else!!
> 
> Bleachcake: Also, sorry if the writing is not top shape right away!! We hadn't been writing at first with an intention to post the story publicly, but rather just mess around with the theme of Omega Verse, more or less. Of course now we will continue to work with the idea that we have readers to satisfy so I'm sure we will work harder to make sure everything flows smoothly!!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sudden settling sensation in his gut, as though he had been falling through the air, rushed through him and the wave of reality came back with a resounding ripple through him. A bizarre sadness crept over him as he stared up at the endless sky and basked in the surreal feeling of nostalgia.
> 
> Ah…he’d been dreaming again.

"Dai-chan!" 

 

Momoi was positioned above the dark skinned shifter, hands decidedly planted at her hips as she was bent over the boy in a manner to chastise as she often did, though certainly not without good intent. Her bunny ears were perked right up, lips pulled into a pout and her hair had spilled over her shoulders in a glossy curtain of rose.

 

"Dai-chan! You fell asleep again~!" She huffed, head cocking as her tail fluffed behind her. "You'll be late meeting up with Ki-chan~!"

 

Oh...right, he did make plans today, didn't he? It was a little out of the ordinary, especially as of late with school back in session and the distance, both physically and emotionally that had come between the two. He received a text asking to meet up and grab food, maybe play some street ball with his blond childhood friend.

 

It sounded good to break the routine, but he wouldn't get his hopes too high. Kise had a knack for flaking out over gigs, what with getting into modeling a year back or so. He wasn't surprised, maybe he could even say he was a little irritated that the naturally beautiful fox boy wound up doing exactly what everyone expected him to do. But...he couldn't say he wouldn't do the same in his position. Life generally had a way of throwing talent in your face if you were lucky enough and you just sort of had to swallow it.   


Lips popping open wide, he gave a long, lazy yawn, hand raising to swipe away the drool that collected at the corner of his mouth with his unexpected nap. Lucky for him, he had a free period that day after a test, thus Momoi couldn't get down his throat for skipping real class. He'd only stuck around because he expected the two of them would get food when her class was over, though that was forgetting that he already had prior engagements.   


"Nnnh...Kise will probably be late anyway. Something stupid about girls, probably...." His voice was still rumbling with the left over traces of slumber, feeling groggy after such an involved dream. What was it again...something about being a kid?

 

It was already gone from his memory.

  
 Back arching forward, he popped his spine, folded his ears back, and curled his long, sleek tail while his muscles trembled slightly. He could probably use some exercise. It felt like such a long time since he'd done anything truly taxing, despite having a gym period this semester as well. 

  
"Just text him and tell 'im I'll get there. I'm up now."

 

Momoi watched him stand, eyes trailing his form before she was giving a heavy sigh and popped her hip out to the side in yet another display of impatience. 

 

" _You_ text him, Dai-chan! It's your meet up, after all. That seems pretty insensitive, don't you think?" She sniffed with a soft little pout to her lips. 

 

She had begun to notice something in her longtime friend, and it was something that kindled a soft fear within her. Aomine, whom she had known as rowdy and excitable all her life, had begun to grow somewhat apathetic. Her fear was very closely paired with guilt, as she had deduced much of his dissociation with his surroundings evolved from the rather heartless banter that had followed him since childhood.

 

His parents were not mates.

 

It wasn't completely rare, nor was it something entirely unheard of working out, but their community did not take well to it. Ridiculous as it were, it was little surprise it was so looked down upon, as many couples that were not a mated pair had caused many problems that affected society in its own way; one of the strongest arguments being the balance of hormonal exchange for shifters.  Not experiencing the natural state of heat one would enter as a shifter with their mated pair would upset the communal balance, or so said reported evidence against non-mated pairs. Momoi had her own theories, but there was little she could do to implement them. 

 

She, too, had non mated parents, but such a fact had remained secret all her life. Something she had to thank Aomine for on more than a few occasions. 

 

Sighing, she was reaching into the little tote bag slung over her shoulder and pulled out a little bag of cookies specifically designed for the individual she was presenting it to. 

 

"Here, I wanted to save them for when you met up with Ki-chan but they'll pep you up a bit ..." She met his eyes before becoming flustered and nearly chucking the little bag at his face. 

 

"Don't give me that look, I didn't make them, okay?!"

 

Mellow mood or not, food was always a good way to get Aomine's attitude back on track, even if just temporarily. His ears flicked forward, finally giving attention to their interaction while his dark blues inspected the bag. There was a chance these were pretty decent - especially if Momoi didn't make them herself. Cruel as it sounded, she had more of a talent for making the simplest recipes tastes ungodly than cooking anything edible. 

  
"Oh, these look good." That was as close as it was likely to get to a thank you. But instead of texting, he was now busy undoing the top of the bag as he turned tail and began to walk in the general direction of his destination. Clearly he couldn't be bothered to give the blond a head's up if it meant doing it himself. A bit more nagging rolled off his shoulders, though he managed to at least give the girl a small wave and a 'Later, Satsuki-' before the two finally parted ways. He walked while chewing on a few of the cookies all the while. 

 

Not that he usually cared too much about how social interactions went, but his mind still mulled the situation over, if not for anything better to do with his time. He just hoped things wouldn't somehow be awkward. Neutral as he appeared to be or even tried to convince himself to feel, he didn't want this to be a drag.  


He could use something good and exciting in his life right about now. 

  
Everything had been particularly...grey these days. 

  
School, people, even his favorite hobby; basketball.

 

Lately things were settling into a bland monotone, one that only relieved itself with a splash of color when he decided he would make these good days; that he would try harder...but that splash of color was generally rewarded by a quick and even deeper plunge into the bland, blank space once more. The harder he tried, the less satisfying things became so rapidly. 

 

It was easy to simply lay back and let things go by in a haze at times.   


"Mmh...tired..." He mumbled into a half-eaten cookie as he walked, already plotting out the rest of his evening for when he returned home to the quiet of his room. Probably magazines again...maybe he could scan the convenience store rack again for another issue.   


If he didn't have a mate, then why not just enjoy whatever kind of woman he wanted? 

  
Mai-chan's bathing suit issue was a go-to, and something he was contemplating as a finisher for his evening. 

 

Upon arriving at their designated destination, Aomine spotted the fox already occupying the court, clothing adjusted just so to accommodate their arrangement and poised in a stance preparing to make a shot. With a little curl to the corner of his mouth, Aomine couldn't help the devilish cackle deep in his throat as he drew in a breath and suddenly let out a rather fierce whistle that sliced the silence entirely in two. 

 

Kise's reaction was well worth the disturbance as the fox yelped, unwillingly tossing the ball over his shoulder in a fit of momentary hysteria. His tail bushed out, having practically poofed into existence as it had been otherwise hidden and ears popped up from seemingly nowhere to disturb his head of golden hair. 

 

Immediately, the fox knew what had happened, and even without having to spot the black panther, nor smell him if one asked about it, Kise was stamping his foot down and puffing out his cheek in irritation.

 

"Aominecchiiii~!" He whined angrily, accusingly and huffily made after the ball he'd rocketed into another direction. 

 

Aomine was laughing, a rather rare and rich chiming sound as he made his way into the court; tail flicking about playfully. 

 

"In the flesh." He finally remarked with a grin, beginning to rid himself of unnecessary items in order to make an easier play.

 

Having retrieved the ball, Kise was turning himself around to finally face his old friend. Even if the blond had not revealed it, he'd relished in such a laugh, finding himself missing it as he, too, had noticed Aomine's increasingly distant persona. He wasn't so confident on how to bring it up just yet and more often than not, opted to ignore it as he was certain Aomine got enough from Momoi about the matter.

 

However, he knew standing by wasn't helping his friend any either. It was painful, being in such a position.

 

So little moments like these, when they'd come together to play on the court like they used to when they were young were one of the few moments Kise found Aomine could tap into that sort of jovial and carefree attitude that was the heart of who he truly was. 

 

"Tickled as I am that you're here," It started out sarcastic though there was undoubtedly a bit of truth to it. Kise wouldn't have admitted to either if one inquired. "I'd appreciate it if you  _didn't_ pull that shit." He was tucking the basketball between his arm and hip, tail fluffing to the side and swaying absentmindedly as he did not bother to retract it nor his ears again.

 

Pulling his shirt off, Aomine was tossing Kise a sidelong look intended to provoke his childhood friend; voice clearly condescending. 

 

"What, still can't whistle~?" He snickered as Kise flushed in frustration, crying 'who cares' in vain. 

 

It was all too easy to rile up the blond, something he didn't feel ashamed of doing in the slightest, especially since the fox had taken to concealing his tail and ears as of late.   


It was an aesthetic decision for some; others just wanted to blend more with the human populace, whether it be out of preference or to hide from discrimination. For Kise, he assumed it was mostly for work, fans as well, as many of his shoots, from what Aomine had caught in magazines, were without the tail or ears, or rarely a variety of one or the other. Non shifters tended to be a bit more sensitive about the matter, perhaps because they lacked those physical traits themselves. At least, that was his personal take on it. 

 

The feline shifter rarely bothered unless strictly asked to do so, just feeling naturally more comfortable in the in between state of human and fully shifted form. Thus, he didn't seem to have a problem drawing out Kise's fox traits as well. In fact, he seemed to enjoy it greatly, especially when coupled with whining protests. 

  
There had certainly been a time when he himself concealed his ears and tail fitfully, only occasionally caught with them out during sleep or when he was eating in the comfort of his own home, but that time had long since passed. It was not uncommon for younger shifters to go through a similar phase, though Momoi seemed to be the only one rather attuned to his reasoning.

 

He hadn't had the easiest go of things.

 

"Ah well... As long as you can still play, that's more important." After discarding a few articles of his uniform, as well as his school bag and the half eaten package of cookies, Aomine's gaze was back on the player standing dead center in the street court, his lips twitching up in a familiar, cocky smirk. 

 

"You're not gonna complain if you break a nail or get a bruise or two, right? Looks like the modeling gig has you on a tight leash."

 

Baited just as Aomine had wanted, Kise's expression was becoming more serious, his ears perked and alerted as his tail suddenly became still in concentration.

 

"When have I ever?" Kise countered, voice deeper than before and eyes narrowed into slits. Aomine wanted to scoff and dismiss his comment as the boy was not afraid of whining about the simpler things, but honestly speaking, when it came to their matches, Kise took them quite seriously and didn't make light of their exchange. 

 

He was one of the few people Aomine coveted the spark of excitement with. As short lived as it was, Aomine was grateful for his golden eyed friend, no matter how little he'd express in gratitude. They understood one another well enough.

 

Poising himself, he was waiting with an expression just as wild and dangerous as Kise's, the blond plucking the ball from where he'd tucked it against his hip and began to dribble where they stood. It took only a few seconds for the two of them to burst into a full speed play, moving fluidly with the course of the game as they went back and forth, scoring, blocking, dribbling; drives, dunks, scoops. The two of them were very talented in their footwork, their dexterity, their agility and many would claim their talents to be of the prodigal level.

 

Kise, however, rarely ever bested Aomine. He would come close, and had done so many times recently, but never could he push himself over the edge. Be it there a reason for that or not, it was never spoken and Aomine knew regardless that the blond was working as hard as he possibly could.

 

They would always work up a decent sweat and end the games relatively winded - he couldn't complain after such a workout, and especially when Kise offered to buy them icecream; or more accurately, Aomine announced that loser would buy and Kise, despite the obviously unfair advantage Aomine had in the matter, never protested enough to flat out refuse and would follow through.

 

Aomine bit into the icy treat with a contented sigh, allowing himself just that moment to relish in the simple pleasures. 

 

They had moved to stand near the park right near the convenience store, deciding not to stick around outside the doors with so many smokers clustered around. Humans, naturally. Most shifters couldn't handle the smoke well with such delicate noses. So Aomine propped himself against the fence, sucking on the cold sweet in his mouth and moved it around with his tongue as it rapidly melted; stuffing a free hand into his pocket. 

  
He'd already passed off the bag of cookies when a sweets selection at the store made him remember, simply announcing Kise could have some without much of an explanation to go along with it. It wasn't needed either way. Knowing them as he did, Kise knew right away the gift was from Aomine's pink-haired caretaker. 

 

"How's your school?" His voice was flat and he didn't sound terribly interested, but it was a question none the less - one that Aomine had asked while taking another bite of his popsicle. It was the first he'd asked much about Kise's life in general, though some of that could be due to the fox just generally, excitedly, brought things up on his own whenever they had the rare treat of visiting one another. 

 

Obviously the oddity of Aomine asking such a question displayed on Kise's face as he gave the dark skinned boy a rather bewildered look before quickly catching himself and shrugging somewhat. His ears flicked as he looked outward and, unlike Aomine, licked and suckled at his ice instead of biting right into it.

 

"S'alright. Kinda boring but my basketball team is pretty nice." Kise admitted as his tail swayed at the mention of it. He wasn't easily won over by those around him and had a tendency to quietly condescend; something he wasn't exactly proud of, but it was in his nature to challenge those he surrounded himself with, and especially considering he was a naturally talented individual. If people couldn't handle a little goading and pressure to prove themselves, especially in situations that called for competition, then Kise figured they simply weren't cut out for such a position; provoking personality or no. 

 

Testing the waters, Kise was flicking his golden eyes toward Aomine, peering at him inquisitively before he was sighing out, and letting his long lashes close with a rather soft sigh. 

 

"Mating is a hot topic, too. Probably since it's high school and everyone's all hyped up on hormones." Kise remarked almost dismissively, rolling his shoulder a bit as it was beginning to pulse vaguely; he'd worked particularly hard trying to dribble past Aomine but to no avail. Aomine couldn't exactly control the grimace that touched the corners of his lips, though he knew Kise was aware of the sour mood it would put him in. He supposed there was a reason he was bringing it up and a part of him was thankful that the blond didn't tread on thin ice like Momoi tended to do.

 

The both of them were always looking out for him in ways he wasn't so sure he liked. But the more mature side of himself (be it a very little side) understood they were all he truly had and he, despite how frustrated he could get, wouldn't trade them for anything.

 

"I'm surprised you haven't found yours yet." Aomine drawled in annoyance, giving Kise a rather unimpressed look to which Kise was screwing his lips up into a slight pout.

 

"Well I'm not exactly searching...it's troublesome enough to deal with school and basketball on top of everything else." Kise almost had half a mind to mention that he wouldn't much care if he'd found a mate. Certainly he wanted to in the grand scheme of things, but he kind of enjoyed being the center of attention without having to commit. Aomine, however, would have quickly clocked him if he said as much, both for being cocky and having all the girls to himself, but truthfully, more so due to the comment about not finding a mate.

 

Aomine wasn't the most sensitive person, but finding a mate to him was rather important. He had his reasons, perhaps selfish as it were, but he wasn't fond of people belittling something that had affected him so greatly.

 

"It's not really about looking, I guess. That's what people keep saying." His blue eyes had settled closed for a moment's time, speaking around the end of his popsicle while his chin came to rest on the inside of his palm, elbow pressed to his thigh. 

  
"'It came out of nowhere' or ' You can't prepare for it, it just hits you'. That's what I'm always hearing." His voice was low, almost bored sounding, though the tone couldn't fool Kise into thinking the topic was of any disinterest to the athletic, young shifter. Out of the three friends, if any could have been said to be looking the most seriously, it was certainly the panther. He never made a show of things and would occasionally tease Momoi when she mentioned she wanted to walk around the mall for the added bonus of 'increasing her odds' when they went shopping together. But in the same way, he could be caught wandering around streets and populated areas alone, nose slightly turned up and ears tilted forward with no real direction other than combing the area.   


He was looking even if he didn't want to admit he was to himself. 

  
"You're gonna lose fans when it happens to you, though." He sniffed, though hardly seemed at all like he was warning him or sympathetic to it. More like something was satisfying about knocking Kise down a notch. He had way too many women.   


Aomine's popsicle was gone faster than he would have liked. The flat stick pressed to his tongue as he was licking up the last of the melted sugar, catching it between his teeth so both arms could rise over his head, groaning softly as he stretched his cooling muscles. "So for your career's sake, maybe fate will hold off for a few years."

 

Snorting despite Aomine's obvious masked jab as Kise knew full well the panther was rather envious of his female fanbase, Kise was shrugging just a bit and flashing a genuine smile at his childhood best friend; one rarely caught on cameras and most likely far more deadly as his charming appeal was dangerous enough on its own.

 

"That'd be nice, but I'd rather you not jinx it~! You're the only consistent obstacle for me, ever since we were kids, you cheeky bastard!" He huffed, shoving him lightheartedly before earning a shove twice as rough right back which, in turn, evoked a bubble of laughter from the blond as he had to brace himself before falling right over. He shook his head a bit as he sat himself upright again, fixing his hair before letting his laughter die down to a soft sigh.

 

"Ah...but it'd be boring otherwise, right?" He caught Aomine's eyes then, feeling as though he was touching upon a more personal place for the tan skinned boy, and as the blue eyed panther was breaking stare to look forward, somewhat abashed by the sentiment, Kise deduced he was correct. 

 

"I guess..." He dismissed halfheartedly, though the blond knew better; the grin on his face rather telling. Moments like these were rare and becoming fewer. Thus, when he managed to touch his old friend's heart just so, Kise couldn't help but truly cherish the memory. 

 

"Who knows if I'll even find my mate. I may be faced with irony and actually never meet them." Kise mused whimsically, staring out at the scenery just as Aomine was though the both of them seemed to be looking at nothing in particular. If anyone else had said as much, Aomine would have bared his teeth and swallowed a venomous hiss at such a heartless and careless remark. He'd done so before, earning a scolding from Momoi as he certainly wouldn't make friends that way, but it was within his nature to react badly to such a dismissive statement.

 

He'd heard people say things similar, how finding your mate was no big deal, or if you never did, what did it matter? 

 

It was within their right to have their own opinions on the matter, but Aomine knew some who would change their tune depending on the conversation, or perhaps, in a fit of envy at a friend having found their mate, they would flippantly proclaim themselves free of that desire and open minded to the possibilities outside mates. That was, of course, until discovering their own. 

 

Aomine just couldn't let it slide, not when making such little importance out of something that had affected his life so much. 

 

With non-mated parents, the brunt of the bullying fell on him when that topic would arise, and though Aomine had his pride at not allowing others to sway his decisions, he couldn't stand the double standards he'd been faced with, nor the many times he'd found Momoi crying in some isolated corner of her little world as they grew up. Shifters were entitled to think whatever they pleased about their own mating situation, but as soon as they tried to apply those thoughts to the lives of others, tried to control them, tried to force them to feel displaced or unworthy or undeserving, Aomine couldn't,  _wouldn't_ keep his mouth shut. 

 

Kise knew this well, and perhaps if Aomine were less familiar with the blond, he would have snapped at him for such a statement, but the fox was quite familiar with the panther by then. It probably would have rolled right off the model either way.

 

"I'd laugh my ass off if that was the case." Aomine sniffed, pushing himself up and rolling his neck. Kise didn't look convinced, sending him a scrunched up expression and a disbelieving quirk to his brows. 

 

"Yeah right, you'd be sour about it. You'd take it personally, like you do most of the time when people talk about mating. I get it, honestly, but not everyone is trying to pick a fight with you, Aominecchi. You don't have to be defensive  _all_ the time..." Aomine gave Kise a rather unamused expression, though it wasn't as serious as many would expect from the rather bristly panther after being called out. Honestly, he took the criticism rather well considering.

 

"Ah?  _Me?_ I think  _you're_ the one who shouldn't take things so personally. You're almost always whining about this and that; being a fox really suits you." 

 

Perhaps he wasn't taking the criticism at all; rather, he ignored it completely. That was something Kise noticed as well and though he was certain Aomine didn't entirely block out everything he had to say, he wouldn't take it to heart and perhaps, he simply couldn't. Aomine was riddled with enough to worry about. Kise's advice was just the kind of baggage that had to be tossed to the side. 

 

Playing along, Kise was bristling as he stamped his foot; ears perking right up. 

 

"Wh-- what does me being a  _fox_ have anything to do with it?!" 

 

Rolling one of his shoulders, the panther reached out, fingers scooping up the basketball he'd placed just below the bench they occupied. It rolled from his grip easily, seemingly just falling from his grasp, though the bounce was too precise to be an accident. The slow, rhythmic dribbling that followed solidified it.   


"Dogs are always whining. Foxes are the whiniest of all, too. I'd hardly even say they qualify as a dog." As usual, he held none of his teasing back, especially not with Kise. He flicked the leftover stick in the trash with his left hand, walking slowly as he dribbled with the other. Even after playing a vigorous one on one, he couldn't stop his hands from toying with the ball, especially not after having the first satisfying match in a while. 

  
Kise may not have been as talented as himself, but he had a good tenacity about him. He'd keep going and going until, surprisingly, Aomine would be the one who had to call it quits. It was a good feeling, having someone who wanted to keep playing him, even after being beaten so many times. It was leaving him in a better mood than he'd started the day with.   


Breath puffed between his lips, tossing the ball over his head just to catch it behind his back with such fluidity, one would have imagined the ball was attached to him by a string. It bounced back between his legs to return to a standstill dribble. 

 

"Just like the way you whine when you lose. I've heard it so many times, my ears ring before you even say it."  


Just as he heard the fox gearing up for retaliation, his own pinkie finger sticking into his ear to scratch, he stopped the ball dead in his hand and turned to cast dark blues on his friend, tail giving a good flick downward. 

  
"I'm looking forward to hearing you say something else. In basketball and with mates."

 

As was most likely Aomine's intended effect, Kise was cut off in his desire to defend himself and, instead, was focusing on Aomine's last words. Aomine was, at times, a rather poetic person, though he would never venture to call himself such and would, ironically, go out of his way to claim that he wasn't. But Kise had been exposed to the more imaginative sides of Aomine; whether or not the dark skinned panther intended him to be audience to his musings or he engage himself in soliloquy.

 

He was rather fond of what the concept fate or destiny had to offer and though they had done little to aid him thus far, Kise knew Aomine was holding out for his turn that was believed to be, perhaps buried deep in his mind, written to come. 

 

With a scoff, Kise was jogging to catch up to his friend, his grin broad and eyes gleaming as he made to steal the ball from Aomine's grasp; only managing to skim his fingers along the leathery surface before Aomine had slipped it out from underneath him.

 

"Oh, same here, I am  _sick_ of hearing you say it's your win! You just wait, the winds of change are upon us!"  The fox bellowed dramatically, earning a rough shove to the face and nearly sending him straight into a waste receptacle stationed just outside the popular convenient store. 

 

Regardless, Kise was laughing and Aomine was maintaining a lighthearted grin as the two continued their playful scuffle all the way back to the train station. 

 

Neither would have ever assumed that would be one of the last times they would be together as such. Had Kise or Aomine been remotely aware of the coming days, weeks, months, certainly they would have spent every moment they could, past the rise of the moon along the sky and into the wee hours of the morning when sun would lace the horizon in gold, just enjoying the simple company of one another.

 

But they did not know and hence proceeded blissfully unaware into the evening; offering their goodbyes with kicks to the ankle and rather horrid expressions exchanged through the windows of the train before vanishing into a blur.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again everyone! Thanks once more for picking up this fic and I really hope you're enjoying it! Sorry, still no Kuroko or Kagami in this chapter, but you have the lovely Momoi~! PLEASE leave comments on your thoughts, I'd love to hear what you guys are thinking! 
> 
> It's a slow start so I'm sorry if people are chomping at the bit, but that's also sort of mine and my girlfriend's intention. We are cruel, I know.
> 
> Also, I hope everyone had a spectacular New Year!!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neither would have ever assumed that would be one of the last times they would be together as such. Had Kise or Aomine been remotely aware of the coming days, weeks, months, certainly they would have spent every moment they could, past the rise of the moon along the sky and into the wee hours of the morning when sun would lace the horizon in gold, just enjoying the simple company of one another.
> 
> But they did not know and hence proceeded blissfully unaware into the evening; offering their goodbyes with kicks to the ankle and rather horrid expressions exchanged through the windows of the train before vanishing into a blur.

September had ended and school was offering little time to spare for distant friendships. 

October, and Aomine was preoccupied with basketball club. Kise confessed the same responsibilities via text. It was mutually understood that they were just too busy. Halloween selfies were exchanged, earning a snort on one end and laughter on the other but that was all.

November, a magazine was published with Kise on the front cover and sales skyrocketed; an uprising, new and fresh look to the modeling world. Aomine was rarely able to get through, and eventually, all contact had been cut off. Scrunching his nose, Aomine sniffed and slapped his phone shut; pocketing it and heading toward Momoi's house. 

 December, a text from Kise nearly startled Aomine out of a drowsy stupor during English. Flipping his phone open, Aomine scrolled through the wave of emoticons with a roll of his eyes and a nostalgic feeling of comfortable familiarity; managing to get the gist of the message that Kise's modeling manager would confiscate his phone during work hours and lost it all together for nearly three weeks. Sneaky as Aomine believed himself to be, the professor caught sight of it and thus interrupted him finishing Kise's message. He'd forgotten about it come lunch and thus did not see Kise's exuberant request to meet him at their usual court for a one-on-one after school and moseyed home unaware. Both realized the silly error of their carelessness, Kise not providing a second attempt and Aomine forgetting the first, but neither could come to laugh about it; not honestly. 

They started to notice the distance. Kise was not as superstitious as Aomine, but he would not risk jinxing it regardless, and the feeling that it would grow kept them silent for fear mentioning it would make it true.  

 January, Kise received a text from Momoi on the first snowfall of the year that 'Dai-chan wants to visit the shrine and pray for good luck!' because he had been sick over new years; a sign of a bad omen for him, apparently. Kise had offered to come keep him company, but Aomine insisted he wanted no whiny fox near him to drain his energy even further. Kise knew it was a masked act of kindness to keep him from catching what he had, but it hurt. It hurt that he didn't have a moment's selfishness to just want the company of his best friend, sickness be damned. A few hours later, bundled in stylishly warm clothes, Kise received a text that Momoi had slipped down a set of icy steps and sprained her ankle. They couldn't make it to the shrine. 

February, a warm cup of coffee and hot chocolate was shared between Kise and Momoi, brief as it were, as they'd come across one another in passing. Kise found that in the time it took to finish half his cup, he'd had nearly half his heart broken by the beautiful bunny girl as she struggled to muffle her hiccups and wipe pearly tears from her lashes that had come so suddenly, Kise nearly dropped his drink in fear that he had ailed her somehow. She had apologized that she had not the forethought to invite Aomine on her outing that day, apologized that she had sprained her ankle the month prior and ruined their latest chance to see one another, and apologized that she had not the knowledge or the power to bridge the gap that was growing between the two people she held so dear. Kise understood wholeheartedly then why Aomine wanted to protect her. He held her until she stilled.

 March, Aomine caught wind of some rumor about Momoi and Kise and never felt more dissonant with those around him. It seemed nearly any idiot would believe anything if it was written down, no matter how ridiculous. He couldn't be so critical, however. Keeping a journal to write his daily thoughts wasn't so different if one thought about it. Telling himself how to get through the day and be happy, it was written down, perhaps in time he would believe it, too; perhaps he was more idiotic than those he so scorned.

 It seemed obvious that he wouldn't see a head of bright hair at ceremonies when their classes finally ended. In fact, even if it was for his own school, he wouldn't have shown up were it not for the pink-haired rabbit beside him, done up and smiling softly as her father stood back with a camera in hand and a plain, though still well put together woman seated beside him... not a rabbit, though no one would tell with the lack of any tail or ears showing at all.   
  
He'd probably be home, or at a park, anywhere he could go just to escape any interaction or responsibility. Even being around Momoi had become hard. She would bring up Kise, or school, or basketball, or any of the shit he wanted to think nothing of. The more he thought about it, the more his head ached, the more he could feel his chest slowly emptying to leave a hollow echo until his journal had become nothing but 'Today was boring too...'.  
  
And mating. That topic was especially off limits, even more so than before.   
  
He'd been suspended once already, having knocked a kid out for running his mouth too long with such little patience the panther had left. 

 _You're only good at basketball cuz you're shit at everything else. I'd say you should get a mate, but your parents aren't e_ -

He ate his words, or rather, Aomine's fist, before he could even finish them.

They weren't lenient. The mouthy whatever-the-fuck he was got a verbal warning. Aomine was suspended for three days, already having a record of skipping classes. His fingers were cramped up by the time he got out of his disciplinary make-up sessions. 

The distance that Kise and Momoi had been so worried about was deepening so rapidly now, turning quickly to something that was extending just beyond their reach. Cookies and promises of street basketball matches weren't enough to pacify the tan-skinned shifter anymore. In fact, any form of consolation was usually met with cold words or no response at all.   
  
April and the new school year rolled in. Many had new clothes, new hopes for starting fresh, maybe 'finally' finding a new mate or improving grades, but the stalemate between the three remained consistent. Aomine could be dragged along only for so long to the mall with a bribe of food before he would up and leave after announcing he was tired.

Kise had the opposite problem. School, sports, clubs, modeling, even just keeping up with his fanbase, it all left him utterly exhausted. His parents demanded good grades, his manager demanded a well-roundedness they could use to promote his 'talent'. It wasn't as if it was an overwhelming challenge. In fact, it was easy just to slide in and out of different clubs, to get decent grades without trying, or even to wow stylists and camera men and women alike when he would flash a smile, shift to a good angle and pose effortlessly. He was so busy he couldn't think...but he was too bored to think much at the same time regardless.   
  
Was it possible to be so busy and his head so empty at the same time? Basketball was the only breath of fresh air to him, the sport always leaving him desiring to do more, to become more when he was on the court. It was the one thing he hadn't mastered yet, but he could taste a similar emotion to what Aomine was experiencing when he and his team would crush an opponent. It was his captain he had to thank for keeping him in line, keeping him humane when against weaker teams.

He had a bad habit of looking down on those not on his level in any field. He just didn't have time for those who couldn't keep up, those that couldn't even create an echo in his increasingly monotone world. It was a growing desire to play Aomine again as things were becoming so busy and so bland, but as far as he was concerned, no texts had been returned and no signs of his old friend's fiery nature were visible any more. Even as summer approached and the spring weather that was good for playing streetball was upon them, neither could seem to make the time or effort to see one another.   
  
Bridging the gap was becoming further and further from reach the more the two young men became lost in monochrome.

 

\--

Momoi Satsuki had never anticipated being someone well acquainted with Aomine Daiki or Kise Ryouta, though she rarely came across as someone people could predict upon first impression. Having grown into someone occasionally known as the 'bunny beauty' by fellow neighbors and classmates, it would come as a surprise to almost anyone what her true nature entailed. 

 Certainly, she was a kindhearted individual with plenty of femininity about her, but who she surrounded herself with and her past times didn't exactly add up. She had never taken a moment to reflect on the consequence of her appearance, and even as she'd grown up with a warning here and a 'bit of advice' there, she would never allow herself to forget the way Aomine and Kise had treated her as they'd grown up together. Many had a tendency to project materialistic value onto someone as beautiful as Momoi, but she couldn't care any less about such things.

She'd grown up rather quickly in childhood, after all, and intelligence was her hidden weapon. She often wished, however, wisdom accompanied her intellect and often berated herself on her inabilities; completely unaware of her own prowess. 

Having watched Kise and Aomine drift apart had been a heartbreak she never imagined she'd experience in friendship alone. She had eventually resolved herself to helping them rebuild their lost connection in time, though felt at a loss of when would be the best opportunity to start. They both appeared to be getting worse and further distanced from one another. Her one relief was, however, whenever she inquired from the both of them about the other, a distant fondness could always be traced on their expression, in the tone of their voice, or the discrete body language they'd portray. 

Momoi felt she would almost give anything to see the two of them as she had when they were children.

Her reverie, one she almost constantly found herself preoccupied with, was interrupted by the familiar sound of a basketball dribbling against the pavement. 

 It was nearly daily that she would take the path that passed by the outside court Kise and Aomine had occupied many a time in the past and it wasn't until the past half year that she associated the location with a forlorn feeling. Often times as she passed it would be vacant, and when it was not, rare as it were, it was younger children, arguably in their adolescents that would be occupying it. It was somewhat secluded and come spring, the fences would be overgrown with lush green flora. The more popular places to practice street ball were located in more of the center of town and though Momoi always preferred the rather quiet, private space undisturbed by the general public, seeing it so empty left her feeling as though she could weep for the vacant space that housed so many memories.

 Berating herself with a little huff that she simply couldn't let herself cry  _again,_ she endeavored to pass on by with her head held high and her focus on the day to come. She'd nearly dismissed the sound of the basketball entirely as her mind playing cruel tricks on her and arguably out of habit alone, cocked her eyes over to the fences expecting to see nothing at all nonetheless.

Upon spotting an individual with a basketball in hand, she quickly realized she was mistaken. 

It wasn't entirely unusual to see someone in the court, and realistically, it should not have been something so astounding to her. Yet, she could not bring herself to look away after spotting them. She felt compelled to watch, if only for a moment, and quietly made her way over.

Threading her fingers into the fencing, she watched with piqued curiosity as the boy bent to retrieve the ball as it bounced back to his person upon a failed shot at the hoop. His body was rather small and be it the lightest chill in the air or not, his skin was alabaster and contrasted very little against the white long sleeved he adorned. His hair was fluffy and somewhat mussed from his workout, the color the softest, palest shade of blue that faded into the spring sky and as he was straightening himself out, Momoi could see a set of feathery, silvery ears popping out above the pale blue locks.  

Surely she would have stared for far longer, had that fluffy head of hair not turned to catch her stare with luminous eyes of vibrant, icy blue. She was stunned to be caught starring, face flushing and white ears perking right up. Be it her instinct or not, an initial response to flee won out with little argument and without bothering to look back, she was skittering away quickly and couldn't dare herself to peer back and see his reaction. 

Upon reflecting later, she deemed herself the most foolish shifter in town.

\---

"Dai-chan~!  _Dai-chan!_ " Momoi cried, waving down her friend as he meandered off the school grounds with a large yawn to punctuate his lazy stroll. Her tone must have indicated something because Aomine, who normally would continue on and expect her to catch up to his stride, stopped and turned to face her as she dashed over. 

 "Ah...?" His voice was just a low, open-mouthed rumble, his eyes only slightly less lidded as she seemed to spark some interest, at least enough to pull him out of whatever daydream he'd been wrapped up in. It was a pleasant enough feeling just to know he was listening as her tennis shoes scuffed to a stop beside him, a hand coming to her chest as she gave a small, relieved puff of air. Excitement had driven her all the way here and she didn't realize it had left her a bit breathless. 

"Geez...At least listen when people are yelling for you-" She muttered, only receiving a small, gruff snort in response before she was on to her main topic. Her white ears had emerged and were pointed straight upright, eyes practically glittering while the panther had lifted his brows somewhat at such an expression.   
  
"There was someone playing in the street court!" 

 Silence.  
  
His expression deadpanned.  
  
"Satsuki....people play basketball on the street all th-" He was cut off by her head shaking frantically, long pink hair fluffing out with the enthusiastic motion.   
  
"No, I mean  _the_  court! The one you and Ki-chan played in all the time before he went to Kaijo!" Despite his lack of expression, if it had to do with basketball, she was sure he remembered. Her expression was nothing but anticipation as she stared up at him, though barely anything registered on his face.  
  
"...That's it? Who cares if -- oi!" He jolted a bit as her hands shoved roughly against his back, setting him off balance for just a moment while her little cotton tail wiggled above the band of her skirt.   
  
"I'm saying, you should go check it out! It's nearby, so maybe you could talk and play a little with them!! You're turning into a shut-in!!" She continued to push and grunt slightly even after his heels had dug against the pavement and he wasn't budging an inch. He was incredibly strong, after all, there was no doubt about that. It still wouldn't stop her from teasing or pushing at him. Aomine only responded to those kinds of things, afterall. 

"Hey -- cut it out -- what's the point of me going?! Did they even look that good?!"  
  
Come to think of it, she hadn't seen a whole lot of them playing to know. He was...particularly small, wasn't he? And, well he had missed a supposedly easy shot... But that was beside the point!  
  
"You'll have to find out by actually  _talking_  to people, Dai-chan!! Like normal people do!!"

Scrunching his nose, Aomine made a face of aversion as though he had something bitter caught on his tongue; nose wrinkling as the corner of his lip curled slightly. He turned to face forward, still not exactly cooperating with his old time friend, but he wasn't pushing back as hard as before, either.

Though much had to do with his inherently lazy behavior, he wouldn't deny there was the slightest, perhaps nigh undetected part of himself that was somewhat curious about the matter as well. That is until a thought struck him and he was narrowing his eyes over his shoulder once again.

"Hold up, why are you so excited about someone you saw in the courts. Who cares? It's not like it's exclusive to me or Kise. What's so special about them?" He had a suspicious lilt to his voice as he would never put it past Momoi to set him up in some embarrassing situation if she believed it was for his benefit.

She stiffened at his words, having caught his gaze and averting her eyes after a moment; appearing timid which was rather fitting to her kind. Such only made Aomine more suspicious and he stopped entirely, causing Momoi to bump right into his back and nearly topple over had he not caught her.

She tucked a bit of hair behind her ear, beginning to play with the strands absentmindedly while attempting to explain herself.

"Honestly...I'm not sure" She confessed, rubbing her nose a bit after having had a rough impact with the panther's body. Aomine was all but ready to roll his eyes and head in the opposite direction until Momoi caught his sleeve and tugged it desperately, tail fluffing and flicking behind her.

"Wait, Dai-chan! I just had this feeling, okay? It was something I couldn't ignore, I just wanted to see if you felt it, too...!" Abashed as she was to admit, she held fast to his arm to keep him put while her cheeks dusted pink. Aomine was silent a moment before speaking rather quietly so anyone else wouldn't hear, though such consideration for privacy was ignored at the tactless accusation that followed.

 "You sure you're not just gassy?" 

Momoi had half a mind to whip her fist out, bear down on his skull as hard as possible and demand he take her seriously for just once. He, however, sensed her distress, lucky for him, and seemed to come to such a conclusion all on his own. He sighed, looking rather annoyed as his long tail twitched behind him while his ears flattened.

"Will you just come with me?  _Please?_ " She was impatient at that point and her ‘please’ was more exasperated than polite. It didn't take much longer of their brief staring contest for Aomine to concede and let his head bow a bit in defeat; agreeing to follow Momoi to the old court at the very least, though his leisurely stride was not something Momoi had the patience for. Thus she made to tug and chide him as quickly as she could manage. 

She was so exuberant, a manner of energy he'd not seen in the pink haired bunny girl and for a moment, Aomine considered the possibility that this person she was suddenly so enamored with could possibly be her mate. That, however, was put to rest when he considered she'd ran to his side instead. From what he understood, it was virtually impossible to leave your mate upon meeting them, at least not without some form of interaction. Yet Momoi was as determined to get him involved with others, and specifically with basketball just as enthusiastically as before; arguably even more so. 

It was easy to tell that, by the time they'd reached the courts, such mysterious individual was nowhere to be found. Aomine was about to be flippant about it, but the drop to Momoi's white ears was a bit heartbreaking and Aomine was forever branded with a soft spot for the girl. 

"He left..." She concluded, huffing a sigh and letting her arms drop to her sides as though they'd missed some sort of amazing opportunity. 

Pressing a large palm against the back of his neck, he was rolling his head from side to side with a little yawn as he mindlessly scuffled closer to the court; more force of habit than a conscious decision, really. 

"Doesn't even seem like someone's been here." He reflected, noticing the court almost entirely crisp and pristine aside from the occasional leaf or gravel here and there. 

"Ah-" Momoi started, as though having a revelation, piquing Aomine's curiosity as he peered over to her. Her expression emulated speculation from someone quite assured in their hypothesis. "Maybe he's a ghost."  

A shudder ran up Aomine's spine as he immediately picked up on her ploy, grimacing at her as he'd immediately narrowed his eyes while his ears went back.

"Don't even mess with me about ghosts." He warned, earning a soft yet short lived laugh from Momoi. She truly appeared disappointed that such a stranger was not there, and part of Aomine, as reclusive as he was, wished they had in fact still been there, if only to keep Momoi's mood lifted as well as quell this strange curiosity she had provoked with her own desire for answers. He was content with turning tail and leaving, having wandered somewhat unintentionally right to the court entrance; that was until a scent caught wind and he was growing entirely still.

A scent that was a bit too strong and specific to be ignored. An incredibly faint, yet incredibly  _good_ smell

A deep inhale followed his discovery, hoping to pinpoint the exact source of that scent, the one making the back of his throat tickle somewhat as he breathed in the lingering traces. 

 _No good..._  
  
It wasn't fresh enough to have a trackable source.

"Oi, Satsuki..." His tone of voice was something she would have probably ignored, assuming he was just going to give her trouble for bringing him all the way there with no fruits to their labor. But as pink eyes turned on him, her lips stopped where they were beginning to press into a pout, lashes fluttering a moment while her head cocked and body stilled.  
  
"Y-yes?" The panther's tail was straight, ears forward, nose slightly flared while his thin, cobalt brows were knit in deep concentration.  
  
"What did you say this person looked like?"  
  
\-----  
  
"Yes, I'll be sure to do that. Thanks!" A heavy bag slid across the floor, hitting the frame of the bed with a soft, cushioned 'thump'. Kise's face hit the pillows with the same soft puff of bedding, though the hefty sigh that rushed into the fabric was entirely different, contrasting the chipper tone he'd just been using.  
  
His manager would probably string him up if he spoke any other way when being told what to do for his next gig. It was certainly more work, good work, too. She had pulled a lot of string for this.  
  
"Why do I not care...." The tone was a soft whine as his head lifted from the blankets, blonde hair mussed over his golden eyes and his school uniform rumpled around his shoulders.   
  
Maybe even a couple months ago he would have been sliding around his room on stocking feet, grinning at such an exciting development in his potential career. So why did it feel like more work was piling on him without the thrill of accomplishment?  
  
His ears had slipped out from his goldenrod hair, tail trapped in his pant leg as he made an uncomfortable groan in the back of his throat, rolling over as he popped the fly of his slacks. It was just enough to wiggle the tail free while it fluffed up, easily back to full volume with a shake or two. 

That was better.  
  
It wasn't hard to keep it hidden anymore, but sometimes it really just felt better to let them out, to relax in the inviting neutrality of human and animal instincts. Though....those instincts seemed to be fading the more and more he was forced to keep them in check. Human appeal was what they wanted. It was only very rarely they specifically asked for his fox side, but even then it was all scripted, all just a masked act to get the perfect shot.  
  
It wasn't particularly hard, nor was it something he necessarily disliked doing. It was just feeling...mundane, somehow.  
  
Like everything else...

Could this possibly be the kind of troublesome development he'd been warned about while growing up? The rather poetic, dramatic poison of youth that accompanied puberty and would plague a percentage of the teenage populace thereafter? He'd heard it referred to has a 'phase' in some cases as well as many other things, some more associated with shifters, others more human, some equally shared for both species; a young adult angst that came with knowledge and awareness. Ignorance is bliss, as he'd often heard it said.

Rolling his eyes and snorting at such embellishment, Kise rolled over onto his back and let his arms splay out on either sides as he stared at the ceiling contemplatively. He wouldn't argue that the ignorance of childhood was, indeed, a blissful time, but he wasn't so foolish to think a little bit of perspective condemned someone to a lifetime of emotional apathy. 

That kind of thinking lead Kise to believe those who assumed as such were simply finding the easy way out. It was simple to blame your frustration and anger on growing up, to lash out at others while claiming to be a victim yourself; he'd seen it many times already and frankly, those individuals made him curl his lip in distaste. 

Perhaps at one time he would have had a bit more patience, but too many times had he dealt with such cases, he had become rather desensitized to it all.

Jealousy, envy, pride, scorn, conceit, lust, gluttony, the simplest forms of human and shifter nature alike he'd been exposed to many a time thus far.

He was, from what he could measure, a fortunate individual. He had a boisterous family of two elder sisters and a mated father and mother of foxes. They were, in all its simplicity, beautiful shifters. His elder sisters had garnered their attention in their fields of study and the fact that neither of them were mated yet seemed to mean very little in their youth. Their appeal was in their availability as it appeared and though they weren't necessarily entirely spared of somewhat critical speculation when the topic of mates would arise, neither of them were much bothered about the subject and often handled such with grace, poise and fluidity. 

Had his sisters dealt with a similar experience as he in school, he couldn't recall. Being the only one of the three to occupy the field of entertainment, Kise was exposed to a far more lethal social experience and such was leaving him rather...jaded.

He couldn't trust much of anyone. 

Or, perhaps more accurately, he couldn't be bothered to. 

His looks, his reputation, his talents, they roped the attention of so many like butterflies to a vibrant flower plentiful with nectar and perhaps there were a few among them who truly wished to know and understand who he truly was, but he had been used and scorned and lied to far too many times to try and sort those few out. A reoccurring theme had been established, he found, as he'd gone through one experience after another, and that was each person who slighted him in whatever way could not best him in any field to which they challenged him. 

Not one person could face him head on without some underhanded tactic. And even then, Kise always came out on top. 

Aomine was the only one who provided any challenge what so ever, yet they had not spoken properly in weeks.

With another sigh, Kise rolled back over onto his stomach and gathered his pillow up into a ball to coil himself around it; a habit he'd developed from childhood and couldn't seem to break himself of. Aomine had once compared such to a pill bug and that had been the closest Kise had come to ceasing such a ritual. He wasn't fond of being compared to insects.

No, seeing Aomine wouldn't solve this issue indefinitely he knew, yet the void that had been created in his absence didn't help any. 

He missed his friend.

As the plumed tip of his tail tickled his nose, Kise habitually cupping the feathery fur and nuzzling his face into it, the golden haired fox fell into a memory of the two of them, one he'd forgotten until that moment.

" _Hey, hey~ Aominecchi~! What do you think your mate will be like~?" cooed the smooth, bell-like voice of a young boy. Honey amber eyes gleamed curiously and neglected to lick off the watermelon seed that adhered to the swell of his cheek pink with mirth (and arguably a bit of watermelon juice)_

Mating, huh…?  
  
That was a topic that consistently buzzed around his head. At first he'd chased it as if it were a curious, rare jeweled beetle, but now when the words were uttered from anyone and the topic came buzzing around again, it felt more like a pesky house fly. It nagged at his ears, but he cared less and less about the answers it had to bring, even if he was old enough to understand now the nature of the beast.  
  
" _Eh? Does it matter? I'm already going to like them anyway, so I don't mind what they're like at all!_ "   
  
The earliest memory he could recall. He had said something like that, hadn't he? The panther had been smiling, fruit all over his face, tail happily flicking around and feet kicking as they spent their carefree days in the garden. 

" _Huh...? Does it matter....? It hasn't happened, so I'm not thinking about it. We're still young anyway._ "

The next memory.  Kise was shuffling his feet against the edge of the outdoor basketball court, pulling his scarf up higher around his ears. They still wore middle school uniforms and took the same route home. It was too cold to play that day.  
  
" _Does it matter? Just stop bringing it up, it's annoying._ "  
  
The most recent. Stepping off the train onto the busy platform, his schoolbag slung over his shoulder, Aomine didn’t even turn back to give a parting glance after the chance meeting during evening rush hour. The space filled in behind him with two eager fans, holding up pastel colored notebooks and the most decorated and adorable pens the girls owned. They wanted a signature and Kise had never wanted more to shove two people out of his face.

His breath huffed into the end of his tail, puffing the soft fur out and away as it tickled his nose and caught in his long lashes. The topic was sensitive and though there was a jealous part of himself that didn't want Aomine to find a mate before he did, that also didn't want his friend's time to suddenly be occupied by someone other than himself and their mutual 'motherly' rabbit, he had entertained the idea that finding one would fix his mood.   
  
Aomine could stop lying that he was searching, stop being weighed down by all the naysayers that claimed unmated offspring didn't get mates for being a 'mistake', and honestly, maybe he could just get someone who would give him a good whack for being so moody.  
  
....But was a mate really such a fantastic thing? He'd always had his doubts, maybe even more so than the panther. Of course, fantasizing had always been something he entertained, and considering the handouts he already had, it was natural to assume whoever was his destined mate would be just as intelligent, just as beautiful as he and the other members of his family. 

'Alphas' got the cream of the crop, didn't they?

He could already tell, as well as others, that's where he stood in the mating scale. It was experienced both in the way shifter women flocked to him as well as the way some shifter males would get aggressive with him. Even on rare occasions when females would be aggressive, either out of intimidation or fear of his dominant hormones, or even as a challenge. But nothing had quite tickled his fancy yet. He'd had a few dates with choice women, had a few romantic encounters, nothing terribly serious, but nothing had felt like these mysterious 'love at first sight' vibes he'd heard all his young life. Having fans certainly excited him at times and he could be momentarily flattered by gifts from others, but those feelings were fading very fast. 

He boasted on occasion to his team mates during club sports, mainly the basketball team he'd become attached too, but it was more or less to get a rise from them. They were the only very different, very real interactions he had anymore, but his gap in talent seemed to be keeping them at fingers length. Only his captain dared to bridge the gap on occasion, for which he appreciated him greatly, but he could tell what they were all thinking deeper down when they played on the court together.   
  
It was easy for him to sense intimidation. It was easy to sense when he wasn't being taken seriously, either for his looks or career choice. It was easy to tell he was so very different.  
  
What could a mate give him that could possibly make a difference with any of these things? What could he gain other than a nice piece of arm candy?

Something bitter was swelling within him, and more reflexively than anything, Kise was uncoiling to quickly snatch his phone before curling right back up as he clutched the device close to him. 

He had a hunch that regardless of his efforts, nothing would come of his attempts to reach out. Sliding his fingers across the touch screen, he was selecting the contact and began to type a message before he could really think of much else.

' _One-on-one tomorrow? The usual place?'_

He didn't bother to check what was on his schedule for the following day, assured there was already something planned for him even so. There was something to be said of instinct, the part of him that operated with little forethought. He was desperate for something real, something he could find purchase in, something that could reassure him he wasn't being propelled into a dream. 

He just wanted to see his friend. What a pathetic little kid he was.

His thumb hovered over the option to send, finally taking the moment to contemplate his course of action before he let out a heavy sigh of something tired and defeated. Pressing his thumb against the backspace, he watched as the letters were deleted one by one and, plopping his phone back atop the surface of the desk he'd placed it on before he turned away and closed his eyes.

Though the human side of him had dictated as such, he couldn't pull out of that childish coil and fell into a fitful slumber; clutching his tail tight.

\--

It had become Momoi's mission from that day to track down the mysterious blue haired boy she had spotted at the outdoor court. Though she had not been very successful since then, Aomine's reaction alone motivated her through all of her failures. She was an intelligent girl and jumping to conclusions wasn't an error she made outside of personal entertainment, but the way the panther's eyes had become fierce and sharp, burning cobalt into the surroundings as he honed his senses told Momoi he had caught wind of something important.

 _Very_ important.

Granted, it had been a few weeks since the event and Momoi had since tried to pass by the court at least once a day, though she was finding it rather frustrating that, no matter how she attempted to vary the times she did so in hopes to catch the mysterious shifter, all her attempts ended to no avail. Admittedly, there had been the rather fantasy driven side of herself that had become somewhat enchanted by the mysterious counter, and by extension, the shifter, thus her own personal interest wasn't entirely absent from her desires to continue her search.

His eyes had been so vivid amidst an otherwise ghost like being that appeared to fade into the background. 

After nearly two months had passed and the days were getting rather warm, Momoi was nearly ready to abandon it altogether on the notion that she had, in fact, been seeing a spirit at that time. 

Her crestfallen mood didn't go unnoticed by Aomine, and the soft spot for the bunny girl forever tattooed within the otherwise hardened boy couldn't allow him to leave her to walk home alone. He was, however, having second thoughts as she revealed her hypothesis to him and sounded more assured the more she talked it out. 

"I mean, Dai-chan, I have been so consistently walking by this court since that day and I've yet to see him. I thought, perhaps he scares easy or perhaps he's caught on to me, but even though I've accounted for that, nothing! He  _must_ be a ghost, right?" She cried, desperate for validation in light of her failure and didn't seem at all empathetic to Aomine's superstitions.

The notion sent shivers down his spine. But realistically...a ghost? In the middle of the day? Playing basketball of all things?   
  
Maybe Satsuki was really just trying that hard to get a rise out of him. Or she was losing it.  
  
"Maybe your brain is trying to make up fantasies because you're a lonely old maid." He fluidly dodged the bag that came swinging at his gut, having expected the reaction from the get go, though his expression didn't change in the slightest. Her barrage of complaints and insults also fell on deaf ears as he simply kept right on talking as if his comments had been a natural part of conversation.  
  
"He could have moved. Or maybe he was just passing through." Honestly, he couldn't lie, it had tickled his interest a bit to know. He, without letting Momoi know of course, had stopped by the court himself to try to catch a glance of this mystery man. With that little hint he'd gotten in that scent, he could only imagine someone with fierce physical prowess. It contrasted the physical description he'd gotten, a rather petite boy so he’d been told. But especially with shifters, size didn't always matter. He could be small and agile. He'd seen someone once who was very similar to that description in middle school, although cherry red hair certainly wasn't in Momoi's pink-faced explanation.   
  
Either way, it left him eagerly sniffing around the empty court, trying to track down another trace of what he'd felt before, but it seemed to have lost half its potency. He could pick up on one scent, something soft...sort of plain. Honestly...he couldn't even tell if it was a shifter at all. It was like smelling a bar of soap or vanilla yogurt if he had to put it to words. It was certainly present the last time, but that little kick was missing.   
  
His interest waned the longer he went without that enticing smell, though it held on just enough to keep the panther from complaining too much as he followed along with this half-hashed plan. 

Though the pink haired girl had fruitlessly lashed out at the panther, she was quick to let go of her anger, having learned to do so with the crass boy since she was young and sighed heavily while fixing her hair just a bit as it had become somewhat mussed in her flailing attempts to hit the dark skinned shifter. 

"I considered those possibilities as well, but even so, sometimes I would smell just the remnant of something familiar, so I just couldn't let it go..." she was pouting slightly, though the tone of her voice truly indicated the depth of her disappointment. She had wanted to see where that spark in Aomine would lead, what it would ignite. It had been so long since she'd seen him so alert and focused, she wanted to see it again; perhaps such was selfish of her even. 

Aomine, however, could read her easily, and though he was never very good with cheering people up, he was superb at forcibly diverting their focus. 

"Oy, are those wrinkle forming on your face? Y'know, I was joking about being an old maid, but I might be more accurate than I thought." He remarked with such a tone of a conceit unique to him, reaching over to press an offending pointer finger to the center of her forehead a few times. 

He succeeded almost immediately in preoccupying her thoughts as her white ears were popping right up and her expression turned fiery as he willingly invoked her fury.

" _Dai-chan_!!" She cried out, accusatory and ready to pounce on him, had she any upper hand on him what so ever; her rosy eyes brimmed with tears of pure aggravation. She was finally unable to let it slide, having reached her boiling point and took to trying repeated attacks with her bag as she wanted to scream her frustrations to the idiotic boy in front of her. Had he no idea how hard she was trying on his behalf?

Or was he belittling her on purpose? Even then, such only angered her more as she could not count on all her fingers and toes the times Aomine had defended her growing up.

"Have you absolutely  _no_ tact?! Can't you be a  _little_ respectful?! Haven't I earned that by  _now,_ you  _idiot?!"_ He voice became louder with each accusation, emphasizing each point with a swing of her bag though Aomine was dodging each one with laughable ease. Hopping away from her with impressive and nimble footwork, she was finalizing her bout of mild and justifiable hysteria by hurling said bag at the cat. He was dodging it, as expected, and even caught the strap effortlessly as he swung it about once or twice before slinging it over his own shoulder and shifting right around to continue on his way.

"Thanks for the homework, Satsuki." He saluted in nonchalance, as though such had been his plan all along. 

The silence that greeted him was not only odd, but somewhat concerning. Not one to worry, Aomine did not react to it right away, though did finally cock his eyes over his shoulder in inquiry as one black ear twitched forward to listen just in case.

Momoi was, in fact, not looking at him any longer, nor in his direction what so ever. Her gaze was honed in elsewhere, expression almost one of awe as she stood stupefied; stunned by the happenstance.

Raising her hand, she was pointing in the direction of her gaze.

"There he is." She clarified in all simplicity.

 _Bullshit_.  
  
Easily it could be a trap just to knock him down a peg after acting so cool in spite of her fury, but even with that in mind, he couldn't help but turn his eyes to follow the line of her finger. His sharp eyes flicked left, flicked right, tail twitched, before he slowly took a step closer to her. He was just waiting now for the 'made you look' but Satsuki was still busy staring in awe at ...whatever she was looking at.   
  
Wouldn't he be able to see a guy standing right in front of them? Especially one with as sharp a presence as he was anticipating. Both ears were cocked forward, tail stiff and straight while he continued to look. Was he on the street? The court?  
  
"...Where?"  
  
Even before she could get out the 'Dummy-' that was going to begin her sentence, Aomine's sleek tail was suddenly bushing up, ears back and lips tightly clenched together.   
  
A basketball definitely just bounced off the hoop all on its own. It hit the pavement once, twice, then rolled to clink against the fence as its resting place.   
  
_For real?! There's really a ghost that plays basketball in the daytime?!_  
  
Even if this was some sort of well-orchestrated prank by his childhood friend, it wouldn't stop him from literally turning tail and sprinting the rest of the way home. He'd shift if he had too. Satsuki would have to deal with being carried in his mouth.

A set of hands clutching around the ball and lifting it from where it came to a stop kept him from bolting in fear, though now the delinquent student was simply frozen by it instead. They were nearly white as a ghost, that was for sure. And the way this person seemed to phase into existence the moment they cradled the ball was unnatural, like he had never been there until just now.  
  
"O-oi, S-Satsuki....I think this is bad....W-we should probably run for it...." It had been a long time since she had seen nearly the six foot four basketball jock trembling like a leaf. 

Where Aomine was terrified, Momoi was mystified and thus her childhood friend suggesting they run after experiencing what she would deem the rarest coincidence of her time seemed borderline blasphemous.  

Only the power of the gods could have arranged such a meeting after all her efforts, right?

" _Eh?!_ How could you say that, Dai-chan, he's right  _there!"_ Momoi's scolding was a hushed yell, not wanting to disrupt the boy and cause him to flee. 

 She wouldn't confess that a part of her still believed they were witnessing a phantom and any disturbance would result in him fizzling away into the air. She had only briefly averted her gaze to give the panther with eyes of cobalt an incredulous look before quickly gazing back to the pseudo apparition.

Stiffening immediately with white ears locking upright, Momoi came to find said spirit had spotted the two of them despite their rather halfhearted attempts at being quiet and was staring at them both. 

It was nigh surrealistic and for a moment, in the passing breeze of a coming summer and a blue sky that boasted feathery clouds of watercolor, he was almost ethereal. 

She'd almost missed it entirely when he finally spoke.

"Is there something you need?" 

The color of her cheeks rivaled the pink of her hair, easily deepening to an even darker shade while her hands began to fidget with the end of her pleated skirt. Surely they looked like a couple of idiots gawking at this poor boy from the other side of the fence, perhaps even creepy.   
  
"Ah -- n-no, sorry! It's just ...rare to see anyone on this court!" It was fully the truth, but the words passing her lips still felt like a flimsy excuse, especially when they were outlined by nervous stammering. 

Aomine seemed to be calming a bit after hearing this ghost-like boy speak, hands slowly coming to rest by his sides while his brows were gradually coming together in a puzzled furrow. There was that scent of soap again...and his voice was pretty soft. How old was this guy...? Was he really the one who had produced that smell he'd been hooked on finding?  _Someone_  had certainly left it on this court and it had been mixed with the plain fragrance he was breathing in now.   
  
Could it be hormones specific to when he played?

"Sorry for disturbing you! We just happen to like basketball too, so I guess...it's good to see someone else putting this court to use. It was getting kind of overgrown." Friendly as ever, Momoi was attempting to make small talk to ease the awkward introduction they seemed to be mixed up in, her hand habitually coming up as a piece of long hair twisted around her index finger.   
  
"Do you live nearby?"

The blue eyed boy didn't seem fazed by her skittish behavior, rather he appeared relatively expressionless and observant of the both of them. Certainly he wasn't timid as she has perceived as a possibility, or if he was, he had an exceptional poker face. 

The kind of shifter he was, however, remained unknown as he was not sporting the appendages she had only briefly glimpsed the last she saw him. She could only recall their color of feathery silver that reminded her of milkweed. 

"Not terribly close. But the courts nearby are often occupied. I like the atmosphere of this court so I don't mind taking the time to come."

A soft voice had summed it up well as Aomine listened carefully to the way he spoke. It was smooth and tender in a way he felt it could lull him to slumber, though Momoi was fidgeting all the more at his side. He, however, was learning quite quickly that this boy was not such a wonder to behold. 

His entire countenance revealed his potential and secrets he had. He was small in stature, voice level and gentle, presence faded and meager; he smelled weak. 

Or, more accurately, he smelled like almost nothing at all. 

Aomine had sparred with Kise so regularly growing up, he had become accustomed to the scent one would exude when posing a threat and promising a challenge. It had been rare occasions that he would come across such scents otherwise and he would covet the nostalgic aroma whenever such happened. 

This kids scent, however unique and unlike anything Aomine had experienced before was nothing like that. 

He was, to say the least, severely disappointed. 

Ears flattening and tail dropping to his side, Aomine did not bother to engage him in small talk as Momoi had, feeling suddenly drained of energy and borderline irritable. He would rather not take it out on some unsuspecting amateur. He turned his shoulder and began to stalk off. 

The bunny girl, quick to notice as such, was whipping her attention to Aomine before back to the boy separated by a chain link fence and an array of flora. 

"A-Aomine-kun!" She cried, having learned to address him as such in the presence of others despite his distaste to it. She jogged to catch up with him and clutched his arm to stop him. 

"Oy, don't let me keep you. Chatter away." His fingers flicked about in gesture to superfluous conversation before he promptly pocketed his hand and made to go on his way. 

"But--" she was pressing her other hand to her skirt as another breeze passed by, her expression almost desperate. Sighing, Aomine turned to give her a stern look only somewhat softened by the slight guilt at upsetting her. 

"Look, I'm not interested. You talk to him, you're obviously the curious one here. I'm gonna go." He endeavored to sound as nonchalant as possible, but Momoi was not fickle enough to allow herself the indulgence. Her expression was defeated as she muscled back tears and a pout to her lip. 

"You have my bag." She said quietly, indicating she could not be separated from him on such terms and perhaps trying to communicate some larger meaning. With a huff of resignation, Aomine shrugged the strap from his shoulder and offered the bag back to her when another breeze, stronger than the last was sweeping through. 

He couldn't feel too bad. This was her thing after all. What responsibility did he have to stick around this weak little-  
  
The sleek tail drooping behind him was snapping straight, ears flicking up, forward, then cocking back toward the direction of the court as his nostrils flared slightly and hand gripped around the strap of her bag tightly.  
  
_That's it -- that's the scent_.

It was coming precisely from the direction of that plain boy, there was no mistaking it, even if it was just the slightest whiff. How the hell could this guy be concealing a smell so potent and powerful?! It made his nerves buzz and his senses alert.   
  
Was he entirely wrong about his lack of talent?  
  
His head craned, body spun around on his heel, nearly causing Momoi to stumble back while her wide, watery eyes blinked in awe to see that sudden, abrupt change once more. He'd give this guy a piece of his mind for hiding something so-  
  
... _Gone?_  
  
"...Ah-" His mouth was open, eyes blinking at the court as his gaze was met with the sight of nothing but worn tar and the lone hoop, the netting torn on one side.   
  
He was seriously gone...?! No bag, no ball - no hide nor hair of that little blue-haired runt!! Color drained from his face, thoughts of the scene just being a ghostly apparition bubbling back up to the surface while his ears folded back, but he was able to ward off the superstitions for a moment.  
  
_No -- I fucking smelled him. He was there a second ago-_

"Satsuki, watch my bag-" he announced, dropping it from his shoulder as the girl below was looking just as shocked as he at the sudden disappearance and now certainly with her friend's change in attitude.   
  
"Wha -- Dai-- Aomine-kun!! Where are you--" It was too late, Aomine was already springing off, ears forward, body slightly hunched down and tail out straight behind him. He looked more like he was hunting small prey, perhaps a bird or squirrel rather than trying to find ahuman being. But if there was one talent he prided himself in other than basketball, it was certainly  _hide and seek_. Perhaps he had Kise to thank for his tracking skills, having honed them over and over as children, both in human and shifted forms. 

The head start was not that long and there were limited places he could go. Even if the scent trail was practically nonexistent with that pathetic odor of his, there was no way he couldn't find him. He was assured of that as he slinked into the first branching street, looking around before he darted to the next.   
  
He'd find him, wherever he was hiding, and wring answers out of that little brat. 

He wouldn’t let that scent go a second time.

  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for picking up this story! I hope everyone enjoyed the long chapter! We were going to end it far sooner, but we've left you all hanging on such solemn notes for too long, we wanted to spoil you guys just a little~
> 
> Please leave your feedback, we'd love to hear what you think!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The head start was not that long and there were limited places he could go. Even if the scent trail was practically nonexistent with that pathetic odor of his, there was no way he couldn't find him. He was assured of that as he slinked into the first branching street, looking around before he darted to the next. 
> 
> He'd find him, wherever he was hiding, and wring answers out of that little brat. 
> 
> He wouldn’t let that scent go a second time.

In a fleeting flash of propulsion, Aomine was brought back to the days of his childhood. If there was anything apart from basketball he excelled at, it was hide and seek.

Kise had always a rather explosive and vibrant personality, and despite the fox having become rather cunning and very good at covering his trail over the years, Aomine had always managed to find him. 

This, however, was putting such skills to the test. Locating a shifter that was already ghost-like in his presence and had an ability to shift in and out of existence on top of that was a challenge Aomine would have readily accepted if he had other risks and rewards in mind. 

But this was not a time he desired to be tested and was finding the more frustrated he became, the more muddled the scent. It took a patience he honestly didn't think he had to wait a moment, still his mind and focus before compliments of another wind passed by and he caught it once more; that somewhat spiced scent that lit a fire to his nose and flooded magma into his muscles. 

He was rounding a sharp corner and scaling the wall of the sectioned off the sidewalk with natural grace; leaping over the hedge of flowers and causing a few to burst in an array of petals in his wake. 

When he landed, he was darting off in the direction of the scent he picked up, contemplating how on earth the puny pale shifter had made it that far in virtually no time at all. 

The scent, faint as it was, became stronger as he ran, Aomine's heart beginning to thunder as he couldn't imagine what would happen once he found it. Just one more corner--

He was forced to come to an abrupt stop then, nearly tripping over himself to avoid a face plant into the pavement at the sudden halt to his momentum. He stopped just short of wind milling into a set of train tracks and careened backward once he caught his balance as an incoming bullet train just barely missed skimming the skin off the tip of his nose. 

The trail ended there. Though it was nearly too faint for his nose to pick up, there was no other lead; it had gone cold. 

Aomine didn't exactly care that he received strange looks from people gathered at the station when he cussed aloud, tail whipping about behind him. 

That little brat! He'd outwitted him! 

There was absolutely no way Aomine was going to let that scent fade without further investigation. He'd let it slip past him twice and it was not going to happen a third time. The spectacle he created at the station as he declared aloud to himself that he would absolutely find that blue haired punk was certainly one to be remembered. It was by the graces of Momoi that most rumors had been defused; having shown up not long after him and immediately claiming his crazed behavior to be rehearsal for an upcoming play. 

She made no bones about dragging him off in the opposite direction, her face nearly a permanent shade of red at that point. 

As the days followed, it appeared no amount of reason from the albino bunny girl would dissuade Aomine from his pursuit and she honestly could not find it within her to protest very hard as she herself was guilty of half stalking the unsuspecting boy. She did, however, adamantly scold Aomine at his outrageous accusation that the ghost boy was some deceitful sneak out to make a fool of him. Begrudging as he was, he finally relented his initial opinion, though did little else about it as he would not be deterred. 

He had taken up Momoi's role of pursuit, though he was far more aggressive about the matter. It was a blessing Momoi accompanied most of his excursions as she managed to quell most of his fiery mannerisms. 

However, even as one, two, even three months passed with absolutely no trace of the phantom boy, Aomine was too stubborn to let it go.

Spring had since turned into summer and Aomine had made several attempts in several different ways. Irritated as he was at being bested a numerous amount of times, he had something to focus on for the first time in years. He certainly wasn't bored, though he couldn't say he was happy, either. It was entertaining in the most annoying way possible and he had to snap at Momoi a few times for openly giggling at his antics.

The court was the default place he had continued to check for the boy and thus far, he had not seen him or the last traces of his scent would be the only thing that greeted him. He deduced that, with the coming of the summer season, the boy, had he occupied a basketball team for whatever school he attended, would be busy with club practice and tournaments. That didn't exactly help his search much, but Aomine began staying later in hopes he would come across the runt during a late night practice in the quiet court now in full bloom. 

The steady winds of spring had slowed and the scent of the flowers that laced the fencing was smothered in the growing heat of summer dusk.

\---

"I'm sorry~" The words had a light, sort of airy tone to them, despite a hint of guilt, forced at that, vaguely outlining the statement. 

Sure, Kise felt a little bad doing this over the phone, but to be honest with himself, he didn't really have the time, nor did he care to really make the time otherwise. He could hardly even feel bad about it in the first place, even when he could hear her voice hiccupping on the other side. They had only dated for about two months, after all. There was no reason to cry.

  
He was really a bad person, wasn't he?

With a strange, professional looking smile, he finished up the conversation in record time, sighing and snapping his phone shut while fingers pressed into the back of his neck to rub the taut muscles, slightly wound with stress. 

  
"Geez...we barely even kissed." he mumbled, recalling on how dynamically she had reacted to him ending the relationship, if one could even really call it that. It was more her tripping over his beck and call and taking an annoying amount of selfies with him, to which some he would politely request not make it to the internet. 

It came to a point where he felt he was tagging along an over-excited chihuahua rather than a girlfriend.

  
_Damn... she had seemed more mature at first. She was pretty... Until she started talking about marriage_.

With a shudder, the blond fervently shook his head to perish the thought.

Kise could barely muster enough commitment to say he was someone's boyfriend, let alone even  _consider_ the idea of marriage. In fact, the idea of being tethered to someone else's wants, to someone else's life and schedule just sounded unappealing in the worst ways. He wasn't done figuring out what  _he_  wanted. Why bother with someone else yet?

None of these women seemed independent enough to simply be comfortable in his company without needing his constant approval or clinging to his arm like a baby chimp. But...maybe that was just the nature of relationships. If so, he could do without for a lot longer. 

His hand dropped back to his side, a grimace spreading over his lips momentarily as he certainly hoped none of this would get back to his manager or be picked up by a local gossip magazine. The earful he would get by damaging his reputation with the label of 'playboy' would be never ending. But what was so wrong about ditching relationships that were based on nothing but infatuation with him, that being sparked simply by the fact he was a famous model? They liked the _idea_  of him, not the real him. They were just fulfilling some sort of personal fantasy in the same selfish way he was following his. 

  
"Damn...I'm late..." Kise muttered down at the schedule on his phone, hearing some women excitedly whispering off to the side as he began to briskly walk past, long legs working their advantage as he sped to the station.

  
The girlfriend had been at least somewhat of a change in schedule over the last two months, however short-lived the excitement was. Now it was more like unloading unwanted stress from his schedule. But at least he'd have a little more free time for other things, such as practicing on a street court or maybe even catching up with Momoi. She had texted him again recently, wanting to talk. 

No doubt Aomine was involved, though her words had made it sound at least a little more hopeful. Whatever development was going on on their end, hopefully it could bring his friend out of his recent funk.

  
Though...he'd sort of fallen into his own, hadn't he?

Luckily, his manager didn't have time to ream him out for arriving past the appointed time as they had to work like a whirlwind to prepare him as quickly as possible. The shoot had gone so well, in the end, he had escaped any manner of reprimand and managed to get off a bit early. 

Free time wasn't something he dealt with often and he, sad as it was, wasn't sure what to do with it anymore. 

He didn't have anyone to spend it with, nor was he the kind of person that delighted in occupying his own company with video games, books or television. He was an active individual and liked to spend his time expending energy and challenging his body, although he'd found little satisfaction in his attempted outlets. Basketball was the only one that really stuck and though he couldn't deny a distant affection for his team, perhaps be it a feeling of longing, much of it was attributed to the nostalgia of his childhood. 

Sniffing, he scrunched his nose up in frustration and was immediately pulling out his phone to sift through his contacts and see if there was anyone he could catch up with in the free time he'd been awarded. To say he'd expected to successfully meet up with Momoi would have been a tall tale, but he was pleasantly surprised regardless.

Their meeting was brief, but he was grateful for it nonetheless. It was then that she elaborated on the stories she'd mentioned to him not long before, and as much as Kise felt he'd become talented at routine responses and autopilot reactions, the pink haired bunny girl had his full attention when she brought up the mysterious ghost boy from the court of his childhood. 

He had been undoubtedly curious when Momoi had mentioned Aomine's reaction, but the more she delved into it, the more bizarre it became. When Momoi had caught him up to date with the most recent of Aomine's situation, Kise was caught staring in a rather unattractive manner, displaying every bit of disbelief on his face.

Leaning in, Kise’s eyes narrowed as he spoke slowly and carefully.

“Momocchi...are you being serious?” He wasn’t keen on being made a fool, but Momoi had never really lead him astray before.

 She gave a singular nod, firm and inarguable and Kise couldn't help the bit of laughter that bubbled from him at a refreshingly unpredictable story; his ears perking up, tail fluffing and honestly, he felt it was the first time he'd really laughed in quite some time. 

The both of them came to agree that Aomine was really rather foolish, though the hope that his wild chase didn't lead to a dead end was mutual for the both of them. Whatever secrets that phantom boy unknowingly had were precious information for the panther after all.

As Momoi and Kise gave their adieu, Kise was left to reflect on the possibility that Aomine was, in fact, tracking down traces of his mate. It had been something Aomine always wanted, had pined for since he was a child and something Kise used to share a similar excitement for. Certainly finding a mate of his own wasn't something he  _didn't_ want, but his exposure to a romantic life had been sub par to put politely. If anything, they left him feeling dissonant and indifferent. 

He supposed his dissatisfaction was a number of things, including that none of his previous engagements had been his mate, quite obviously and though it was a shallow comfort, he had little else to optimistically entertain his thoughts. When he finally found his mate, he was certain things would be different. He knew it to be childish, but at times he would find himself fantasizing what she would be like and how stunning she would be upon meeting her; pondering what kind of shifter or perhaps she'd even be human. Rare as it was, it wasn't unheard of and Kise, unintentional as his conceit might be, liked to believe he was a unique and extraordinary individual.

He liked to believe that, and yet as the next week, two weeks, month, two months continued on, he envied the seemingly carefree life of those far more plain; average problems for ordinary people. 

Only the lingering thought that something grand was lying in wait for him kept him focused. Otherwise, everything, even basketball, was fading off into a white haze. 

\---

 

"Oi, pick up the pace!!" Kise's lashes flicked up, his shoulders scrunching in a slightly apologetic manner as he came in contact with his captain's icy stare, prompting him to put away the cellphone he'd been clutching while shuffling at the back the team line up. His focus was poor that day and his energy low, even lower than usual as he briefly considered he may be getting a late summer cold while his sneakers scuffed the pavement as he jogged to catch up. 

  
But why bother focusing that much with just a practice match? Not only that, but it was a school that hadn't even the skill to make it to recent tournaments. He knew this was just intended as warm up for the first years, but then why did he have to tag along at all?

 _It helps team morale_.

He puffed out his lips in a sigh while his pace began to lag once more, focus already waning once again while his mind drifted. The train ride had been too damn long just to sit on the bench the whole match and watch, the name of the school even eluding him a moment or so. Not even the idea that he'd potentially meet new and different fans seemed appealing, though walking with purpose in his track suit along with his team appeared to keep them at bay, if only temporarily.

Hm...but maybe he would get some sweets from a fan. He could be in the mood for that. He certainly wasn't going to be playing, so it wouldn't matter what he ate, right?

  
" **Keepyour spirit up - we'll definitelywinthis one!!** " With a wince and a shudder, Kise's teeth grit together while he felt a solid hand slap down against his shoulder over-enthusiastically. Were his eardrums still intact...?

  
"Hayakawa senpai... It's not a real game....and it's an easy team. I'm not worried about it-" His voice was a slight whine, finger dug into his ear to try to regain his hearing after the jumbled shout had resounded all too loudly in it. 

"That kind of thinking will result in our loss, Kise." It was Moriyama that spoke up that time, strangely concentrated despite the new surroundings. He was often on the look out for women himself and didn't exactly keep such a secret. They were, as he'd claimed, a motivation for him. Kise couldn't recall what kind of shifter he was, something he felt a twinge of guilt about, but he knew it was connected to his desire to garner women's attention. He honestly wouldn’t be shocked if _‘peacock’_ were his shifter species.

Hayakawa was eager to back the statement, nodding with gusto and opening his mouth to further exclaim that their thinking should always be for the team's sake, though Kasamatsu was quick to press his palm against the overzealous second year to silence him. 

"Save your energy for the game! And slow down your speech, you're talking too fast to understand." He growled, shoving his teammate back and rolling his eyes as Hayakawa was giving a bark of agreement and understanding with the same amount of energy as before. For a moment, he was catching Kise's gaze before he faced back forward. If Kise felt he owed it to anyone to at least stick around and keep face, it was Kasamatsu. 

He wasn't necessarily someone Kise admired, nor was he a person he looked up to, but the level of understanding that had been communicated upon his joining the basketball team was one Kise couldn't ignore. Plus, after all the times he'd missed basketball for modeling, it was a wonder he was even allowed to stay on the team. Kasamatsu wasn't so desperate a captain, nor Kaijo so desperate a team that they needed Kise as a player to be successful. It was somewhat of a mystery to Kise, but he couldn't find it within himself to muster the curiosity to inquire. 

As they approached the school, Kise felt that familiar feeling of condescension come over him as he inherently compared his own school to what he was seeing. Granted, his school was private, and the dedication they had to their sports facility far outweighed that of one which only just started two years prior. His inquisitive nature, though dulled terribly quite recently, compelled him to inspect its surroundings with a keen set of golden eyes and a tilt to his chin. When his ears had lifted from his marigold hair and his tail fluffed into existence, he was uncertain, but it was swaying about behind him as the odd curiosity took him.

The girls attending the school certainly recognized him as they drew near, stopping to gaze a moment before whispering among themselves and though he was aware of where his focus should be, the rather shallow satisfaction that came with wowing the students of a school less impressive than his own was something he couldn't deny; much like a sultan that graced the mediocre outskirts of a neighboring city.

He flashed the slightest smile in the direction of one group that had gathered and winked after catching their attention. Kasamatsu noticed the hushed sighs of delight and immediately sent a glower in Kise's direction. 

His expression, however, was not met with one in return.

Kise had stilled to a statue where he stood, ears locked forward and tail bristled at attention. His chin was lifted, nose turned to the wind and his eyes, staring at nothing in particular, were narrowed to slits.

Needless to say, Kasamatsu had never seen him like that before, and as he stopped to inquire, the rest of the team slowed along with him.

"Oy, Kise ---" 

The call fell on deaf ears. 

Was there even any sound left in his head...?

There was, but it was certainly not the sound of his teammates confused quips and yelps, nor the sudden excited and startled squeals of the group of girls he nearly crashed right through, realizing in a delayed sense that he was now running. His muddled train of thought had derailed in an instant as his lungs felt as if they were slowly filling up with a burning smoke, though it was not something he wanted to avoid. 

  
In fact, he wanted to breathe deeper. He wanted to find the source of the fire that was producing this suffocating, fragrant smoke.

His ears were forward, tail out straight, body hunched as he ran blindly through an open side door into the large expanse of the school’s gymnasium. The feeling was similar to being underwater, the immense pressure of hundreds of gallons of water pressing down on your chest and you were desperately seeking the surface. Every fiber of his body was screaming for it, his mind switching into autopilot as every sensation honed.

It was a  _need_. 

"Woah -- Jesus, watch it!!" His shoulder had just barely clipped the large form of another as someone practicing on the court had backpedaled into his path with a ball in hand. He couldn't be bothered to realize he was running right across the center with street shoes on, something that a staff member piped up about from the door. It didn't matter, he couldn't hear them. He could only lift his head as the scent was stronger on the brawny guy before him, Kise pausing only for a moment's time to look at his bewildered expression, point his nose a bit closer to his form before assessing that he was, despite the stronger scent,  _not_  the one producing the scent he was tracking. 

But  _god_ , it was close. He stiffened, turned his head, his gaze tunneled and so sharp at the same time, breathing in deeply and quickly through his nose as he cycled the smell through rapidly. Again, he was off running, only just in time for his teammates to make it to the doorway he had entered as he himself was leaping over a bench and cutting right through a connecting hallway, scattering students all the while. He was not confused, despite not knowing where he was going or what his goal really was. His body knew and he was simply acknowledging the need by rushing as fast as he could to wherever instinct was guiding him.

 _Where .....Where....._ **_Where_ **.

He was darting down the hall, one he recognized to be similar to that of the ones in Kaijo as they were connected to the gymnasium where they practiced, albeit Kaijo's were more numerous and larger in size.

As he ran deeper, the scent became more concentrated, its potency slamming him like a wave and Kise was finding it increasingly difficult to breathe, though every breath he drew was in desperation to draw in more of the aroma.

The hall lead to a dead end of sorts, one only accompanied by a locked door and a set of stairs that lead outside but there was no mistaking where it was all coming from. Positioned perpendicular to the locked exit was another door closed and appearing as disarming as ever. But the smell that radiated from inside had Kise's vision blurring and his head dizzy. He nearly dropped against it, forehead pressing to the soothingly cool surface that contrasted his otherwise burning skin. Bracing his palms against it, one shoulder already flush to it to support himself, Kise open mouth panted as he felt incredibly short of breath and starved of proper oxygen.

Every breath he drew, however, was laced with flame and after fumbling with the knob a moment, he was finally bursting into the room; catching himself before stumbling over. 

It was a storage room from the looks of it, relatively well kept and decorated in an array of sports equipment of different varieties. 

Tucked between a rack of baseball bats and a basket of soccer balls was the unmistakable body of another. 

Positioned in a squat and fervently clutching a bag against their chest, bright, nigh transparent blue eyes lifted from where they had been gazing religiously at the wall and everything flooded, bled and molded together all at once. 

Fluffy, powder blue hair framed a soft looking face flushed and glimmering the same as the fox. Silvery ears stood upright and forward in steadfast fixation while a fluffy, equally silver tail was lifted and unmoving. Eyes of starry, hazed, watery skies starred unrelenting into honey amber and their breath appeared to match one another as they panted in an overwhelmingly mutual sensation. 

For the first time, Kise locked eyes with his mate; a lithe, pale, unremarkable, blue eyed bunny boy.

Surprisingly, words were not the first thing to come to mind when meeting the small, crouching stranger. His first reaction, were he a complete victim to base instinct and instinct alone, would be to pounce. Rushing to him, touching him, doing anything to claim this boy sounded like the only way to sate his desires; to draw in that burning aroma he emitted as if it were precious breath. 

  
But as they locked eyes, a flicker of his humanity, perhaps even a slight connection was sparked. He could tell many of his emotions, his eagerness, was mirrored. But there was something else that caused him to pause, just to let his hand slide back as it nudged the door shut behind him, though not without first reaching for the light switch on the wall. Had he been here in the dark...?

He could see a soft, confused fright in the glassy blues staring at him from below. Black tipped ears folded back momentarily, his first step forward guarded as he gauged the reaction of the shifter he'd yet to break eye contact with.

  
_A rabbit..._

  
Another step forward and his body was beginning to demand a faster pace, the cry louder than his care for the fear he'd invoked, though it couldn't drown out the feeling entirely. Their breathing was still in sync, eyes nearly unblinking as the few steps he had to take to be just within reaching the figure on the floor were completed faster than the first. 

  
_Don't look like that..._

Kise's own hand was nearly trembling with the amount of restraint he was exhibiting in light of being so close. He wanted nothing more than to bury his face into the pale neck of the frozen rabbit shifter before him. No doubt the scent would be strongest there. But it was much more than that. He wanted to pull him closer, wanted to close his mouth over that one vulnerable spot, and gather everything about this boy to himself. 

His fingers fell over one of the small hands fitfully clutching the bag, beginning to peel it back and away from the worn surface, away from the center of his body.

  
He wanted to  _mate_  with this boy more than  _anything_.

The boy's baby blue gaze didn't falter as Kise reached out to pry his hand from the bag meticulously, gently; finger by finger. Though the silver rabbit didn't exactly desire to part with the item at first, pulling it from him wasn't so difficult after their breath began to intermingle and his attention shifted from his grip to other, more pressing things. 

Kise's scent, for one, being the most powerful and compelling aroma he'd ever encountered most likely, commanded every bit of his attention if nothing else. The fox could smell the innate fear the blue eyed bunny had, their natural position as predator and prey ever so prominent in that moment. But what was more was the arousal that had the pale boy nigh immobile before him.

Kise could barely focus now, his pupils heavily dilated and heart thundering in his chest as he kept gaze with the boy at just a breath away.

Unknowingly, his head was tilting ever so slightly, as though he were aiming to lean in and slide their mouths together, and yet he did not. He, instead, concentrated on taking deep and even breaths, the fire that had burned and licked at his nostrils and in the pits of his stomach made a conversion into something different; a rich, velvety feeling like flower petals and spice though the crisp flare of flame did not wane in the wake of the new aroma. 

It was the shift that had happened when fear was dissolving into arousal and the little silver bunny boy finally let go of the bag entirely.

Kise pried it away then, pulling it to toss aside as the freedom to come onto the rabbit had been unlocked. His thick, fluffy ears remained upright and forward, mirroring the feathery ones of silver; shorter than Momoi's if he were to compare, and ever so slightly darker at the tips.

In that moment, time was suspended. Kise felt as if it had come to a stop altogether and every detail was being captured in his memory. He'd heard it said that, upon finding your mate, the explosive myriad of instincts, sensations, chemistry would be unlike anything else. It was ultimately inexplicable aside from excess in analogy and simile alike. Kise had scoffed at such information, finding it hard to believe one to be entirely at the mercy of their instinct. 

He'd always been rather skeptical of what he'd heard and believed himself capable of overcoming it himself, should he ever experience it. 

He would laugh at himself later at such utter conceit, when his mind was freed of the focus he had on the boy before him. The fact that he managed to take time at all to reflect was practically inconceivable itself. 

  
"...I..." It was the lightest sound, a breathy interruption of silence; the blue eyed bunny finally speaking.  But it was that one word that tipped the scale. His voice was the last push Kise experienced before nose diving straight into his instincts as he silenced any further words with a deep and heady kiss. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again to everyone who has been leaving comments and compliments on our story!! I hope you all enjoy this chapter and please let us know what you think! 
> 
> For clarification, yes, this story features the characters in different years of their schooling. To sum it up as easily as possible, all the Gen of Miracles (plus Kagami and Tatsuya) are one year older than in canon while everyone else is virtually the same as in canon. 
> 
> If any of you have anything about this story you want to share, spin offs, poems, ideas, art, whatever, please don't hesitate! We thrive off sharing ideas and theories and other excitement about this kind of stuff.
> 
> Bleachcake: Also for those who may or may not have noticed, we did sneak a small Kagami cameo in there! (Though it's no big thing if it wasn't noticed, it will be elaborated on more later).


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "...I..." It was the lightest sound, a breathy interruption of silence; the blue eyed bunny finally speaking. But it was that one word that tipped the scale. His voice was the last push Kise experienced before nose diving straight into his instincts as he silenced any further words with a deep and heady kiss.

-

 _April,_  

 _Six months ago;_  

-

 

Well...this was going to be rather difficult...

 

The first warning bell had rung through the hallways as students filed in, chattering and smiling, voices loud and excited as the new class seating had been decided while everyone split into groups of friends and acquaintances from the pervious year. It was easy to pick out the first years by the way they looked about, clutching introduction packets while some nervously huddled together with guarded smiles and taking comfort in each other's mutual, initial discomfort.

 

It felt like a long time ago since Kuroko Tetsuya had endured such himself, though his current experience was not terribly unlike theirs despite being a second year himself. He'd been unable to locate any of his friends to chat with....or more accurately, they had not located him as he waved gently and was greeted with nothing in return. 

  
It was not a rarity in the slightest, but the lack of presence was certainly problematic as he glanced back at the board to the assigned seating chart the professor had written up neatly in kanji, then tipped his head back to the chair by the window designated for himself.

 

Someone was occupying it.

The trouble was not that the student was a complete stranger. He'd actually spoken with him a few times the previous year in group projects and other such things. The problem was that he was almost assured this boy had no idea who he was at all despite the fact. He was also chatting loudly with two others while adorning a big smile. It was… going to be difficult to get his attention, especially since Kuroko didn't want to embarrass anyone on the first day of new classes. 

  
However....it couldn't really be helped. He would rather not sit elsewhere and occupy another student's seat just to have the same thing happen to them. Either way would be troubling, so it was best to get it over with now.

  
"Excuse m-"He had begun, taking the steps forward necessary to close the gap and address his classmate formally, though the toe of his shoe dug in just in time to avoid crashing into the back of another; his vision becoming a large black expanse as a boy donning the Seirin uniform came between his nose and the student occupying his chair.

"Ah, sorry...I think you're in my seat..." There was a small pause, the others around the seated student going quiet while the one addressed was going a bit pale as his head craned to face the figure speaking. The brief silence was broken by a very awkward add-on of honorifics at the very end of his words, turning the casual statement into something that was a bit more polite in a forced sort of way. 

"Oh um, my bad - Let me move." There was speed to his steps that was in no doubt caused by the sheer height and stature of the guy who'd claimed to need his seat. The body type was surprising even to Kuroko, causing him to blink more so at the back he'd nearly crashed into while he looked up, using a hand to gently flatten the ears that had popped from his hair in surprise. He wasn't the only one staring by far.

Without any further words, the incredibly large student was allowing the bag on his shoulder to drop down beside the desk, pulling out the chair that looked almost too small for his large frame, and dropped down with a soft sigh while he leafed through a packet of papers in hand with a slight frown.

  
Teeth nipped softly on the inside of Kuroko's lip while he shifted slightly in the aisle of desks. Well....now there was someone entirely _different_ in his seat. 

 

There was a small part of himself that wanted to brush it aside and simply swap seats, feeling somewhat reluctant to tear the large boy's attention from the sheet he was staring at. Kuroko, however he may have appeared to others, simply wasn't a push over and thus stepped forward to interrupt his concentration. 

 

That, however, was when a familiarity about the individual struck him. His body size was one Kuroko certainly did not recall, but the scent surrounding him was somewhat nostalgic. 

 

"Excuse me, you're in my seat." His voice, ever so quiet and temperate, taking a moment to get through to the boy, and even when it had, he barely acknowledged Kuroko at all; quite preoccupied and seemingly unable to diverge his focus. He murmured an apology, seemingly sincere despite his poor attention, and stood to his imposing height well over a head taller than the fair skinned ghost boy. He only had to stride forward with one step before sinking into yet another empty seat right in front of Kuroko's and Kuroko was left to wonder in benign amusement if he was, once again, absentmindedly occupying yet another student's seat. 

 

Settling down into his own desk finally, Kuroko situated himself accordingly; setting up his bag and school supplies for the day. Once he had finished, he observed that no one had come to claim the spot in front of him as their own, or perhaps were too intimidated to do so. Either way, Kuroko was allotted time to study the oddly familiar redhead to his heart's content. 

 

His gaze was cool and calculated, quite used to people watching in everyday life and not garnering much attention himself. After a moment or more of watching quite intently, Kuroko deduced that he had, indeed, met this boy before and felt a bit frustrated with himself for being unable to recall. It was not like him to forget faces, rather, he was not forgetful at all. It was unlike him and he was thus determined to bridge the gap in his memory. 

 

The scent he gave off was robust and distinct, somewhat spiced with autumn and something earthy. He also smelled of cooking oil and a hint of propane gas. All in all, it was not a bad smell by any means yet he could understand why others would be intimidated. It was an array of raw smells, something almost feral with just the slightest hints of contrasted domestication. 

 

He knew him. Undoubtedly; it would just be a second more, he felt it just on the tip of his memory. 

 

Kuroko did not expect the boy to go somewhat stiff after a second, his silver ears perking as he recognized the body language to be that of one who noticed they were being watched. His instincts were admirably sharp as Kuroko was rarely ever pinpointed for his observation, though he did not expect the redhead to cock his body back ever so slightly to investigate what his instincts were telling him. 

 

That was it; that was the hint Kuroko needed. 

 

Having been unable to properly observe his face before, Kuroko could now see the unmistakable shape to the redhead's brow that was unlike any other he'd seen before. He'd met several with interesting shapes and sizes, though none were quite like this.

 

_It couldn't be... Could it?_

 

It was then that the subject of intense speculation verified his feelings of being watched were not only correct, but the one watching had been behind him all along and seemingly materialized from thin air. 

 

The shock the redhead experienced made him jump just a bit after meeting Kuroko's gaze and, presumably unintentional as it were, a pair of fluffy multi-color ears and a striped, thick tail were bursting from their hiding places to stand rigid at attention. There was no mistaking his identity now and Kuroko was raising his brows in disbelief. 

 

"Kagami-kun?"

 

The banging of the redhead's knees against the underside of his desk along with the sudden appearance of shifter ears and a tail had suddenly brought several eyes to the young man, were they not already there simply due to his size; a very unusual one at that considering the country they were in. Color flushed over his cheekbones as he was coming to realize the scene he was making, hands lifting to the top of his head to shove down the ears that had emerged, as if he simply intended to shove them right back into his skull. They receded without the unnecessary patting of his hands, though now the teen's wide, intense gaze was right on the rabbit boy himself. 

"Wha -- D-do I know you?!" His voice was deep with a gritty sort of tone to it, though despite the gruffness to it, he seemed to honestly just be reeling in shock. His speech pattern...it also wasn't quite the Japanese one would expect when addressing a stranger. 

If this was really the boy he assumed it was, it would certainly make sense. How many years had it been since he saw him off to America? But....what a growth spurt he'd had. Kuroko couldn't deny the feeling in his gut that he wanted to give a small huff at just how ridiculous a thing like puberty was. He himself had barely grown to be much different, both in breadth and stature. He had just been pleased that his height was around average, perhaps slightly above. 

  
Kagami had become quite tall; needlessly so.

  
The red eyes focused on him did not change much, obviously struggling to catch up with his whirling thoughts as everything was written plainly on his face. With a twitch of his chin, he breathed in once, twice through his nose, sampling the air around the powder-blue haired student before the forked brows that had been pressed tightly together loosened somewhat. Wide eyes began to soften around the edges as the scent was apparently striking a chord somewhere in his brain, but his mouth didn't open to utter more words of recognition. It appeared he was on the same precipice of familiarity that Kuroko himself had just been teetering on.

 

For a moment, Kuroko considered leaving Kagami to fidget and wrack his memory for an answer he would, most likely, get in due time. However, Kuroko wasn't so cruel, and honestly, he was suddenly quite eager to reestablish what they had from so long ago. 

 

It'd been years since he'd seen his friend

 

"Though it's rather hurtful to find you don't remember, Kagami-kun, I can't say I'm very surprised." He teased, voice even though the sass to his tone could be detected if one really concentrated. He was lifting a brow and cocking his head just a bit while one silver ear was quirking to the side before flicking back forward.

 

"You were never very good at being put on the spot, especially when I would quiz you with riddles." He supposed that would be hint enough. Kuroko also pointedly neglected to mention that he was an individual many people would tend to forget notwithstanding.

 

All he had to do then was simply wait for the recognition to hit.

 

There was a soft snort in the back of his throat, the large tiger shifter's expression going back to a neutral, maybe even slightly amused state as the bunny boy's words had undoubtedly rekindled the recognition to a full flashback of memories. His eyes had certainly become much more narrow and sharp, his jawline cut. It was the crooked way the corner of his mouth tugged into a grin that was most recognizable, even if it was only a small, boyish smile now.

  
"Your riddles never made sense. I see you've picked up a really rigid way of talking, too." His body shifted even more so, beginning to turn around as his elbow leaned across Kuroko's desk and his change in size was becoming even more apparent just by the way he seemed to cast a shadow. He had barely been an inch...maybe an inch and a half taller when they were boys. 

  
"It's been a while, Kuroko. Your ears have gotten a lot bigger." One finger up gestured to the sleek, silver ears that stood up straight from tufts of blue. They barely echoed the tiny little stumps of ears he'd sported in childhood. 

  
"I didn't even think you'd still be in Tokyo.”

 

Kuroko was barely tilting his head to the side, expression still rather vague, though there was the slightest lift to his brows as he let out a small sniff of amusement; just the slightest puff of air.

 

"Where else would I have gone? I don't exactly have wealthy family members like someone I know." He remarked pointedly, though held no malice in his accusation, already prepared to move on in the conversation as he raised a hand to his ears and cupped one of them before letting it go as it quirked to the left before flicking back into place.

 

"I suppose for you they look rather long." He amended, obviously amused as he continued to elaborate. "They're technically some of the shortest ears shifters like myself can have." It looked as though Kagami was ready to retaliate with a playfully biting remark about Kuroko's somewhat sassy attitude but as his luck would have it, the bell was ringing and class was signaled to start.

 

With an annoyed press of his lips and a gruff sniff, Kagami was turning around to face forward; not keen on being reprimanded on the first day for poor behavior and he wasn't exactly very good at blending in. Receiving a gentle tap on his shoulder, however, had him instinctively cocking his head around to peer at Kuroko once more; the silver rabbit suggesting they catch up at lunch together.

 

Not a second after Kagami agreed, the teacher was clearing his throat, Kagami stiffening as he quickly faced forward come to find the professor was, indeed, staring at him, though exhibited, luckily, the countenance of first-day patience. It didn't absolve Kagami of the embarrassment however, gritting his teeth and reminding himself to chew Kuroko out for such later.

 

Needless to say, Kuroko could tell by the swishing of Kagami's tail and the flicking of his ears that the tiger shifter was glad to have someone to talk to, albeit a short lived window of observation as they were quickly retracting yet again, seconds later.

 

It couldn't have been easy, transitioning between schools at such trying stages of one's childhood and teenage life; especially going between foreign countries so far apart as America and Japan. Though Kuroko could not boast of such an experience, he also could not lament the consequences of one himself and thus felt he was content for the time being as a particularly average high school student. 

 

And despite his lack of trouble, he was equally pleased at the lucky coincidence. Though he wouldn't call himself antisocial, his circle of friends was rather limited for reasons a bit too complicated to explain. He rarely made a lasting impression to those he'd meet under normal circumstances, and even for those he shared club activities with, it would take some time for them to truly take notice of his presence. But Kagami, as they'd known each other at such a young age, had been particularly acute of his whereabouts. There were times when Kuroko managed to sneak up on the tiger shifter, but he had been successfully branded in Kagami's memory by then. He wondered, considering how long it took for the redhead to recognize him, just what Kagami may have pictured him as before they reunited so anticlimactically and so suddenly.

 

Though he'd always been the far more petite of the two of them, he'd also hoped to have been a bit...larger; longer even. He wasn't so lucky in that respect and it appeared Kagami had garnered all those assets for himself. 

 

He was eager to catch up with him come lunch time. There was much to discuss and suddenly, struck with an idea, Kuroko was all the more excited to speak with his old friend. After all, he was the perfect size and build for the sport he had come to adore.

 

That lunch period had certainly been refreshing as it seemed both boys had been whole heartedly expecting to sit alone for the first day, maybe even the first several. Kagami was very close behind Kuroko, nearly to the point where he was almost bumping into him as he looked around, expression a bit tense as the set up was certainly different from any of the American school he'd attended.

 

He had mumbled just a few questions for Kuroko before they were finally able to sit off to the side. Then it was Kuroko's turn to ask questions.

Namely, how was Kagami going to possibly finish all the food he'd purchased at the counter?

"Ah, I guess you're right...I did get a lot of salty stuff without a drink. I'll get one - thanks-" 

Clearly, this was a normal occurrence considering his reaction, though the small bunny shifter couldn't help but be a bit...nauseated by the sheer tower sitting before him.

Regardless, it was a good talk despite the oddities they were rediscovering about one another, Kagami commenting more than once how in all reality, Kuroko was almost exactly the same as in his memory. But with honed reflection, it was more than just physical stature that had changed in Kagami. He didn't go into much depth about how he made his way back and, most surprising of all, he didn't jump right on the offer of joining up with the Seirin basketball club.

Something had happened, something recent by the look in his eyes as they flicked to the side and he distracted himself with another mouthful of sandwich. It very well could have been attached to the very reason he returned in the first place, but Kuroko was in no place to push. They had a lot to learn about one another after not seeing hide or hair since childhood. 

  
"I'll probably just play some street ball. That's what I'm kinda used too anyway. I can't really focus on a club right now, especially with all the make-up work I gotta do."

 

Kuroko was not going to press the matter, aware that there was something sensitive associated with it just by the manner in which Kagami pointedly avoided his gaze. Nodding his head once in understanding, Kuroko reassured his old friend in hopes to alleviate some of his wariness, though did not spare him of his honest opinion.

 

"Don't spend too much time hesitating. You won't get back that time you lose and you don't want to use it to regret something instead of pursuing your future." 

 

Perhaps it was a rather prolific piece of advice for something that could be nothing significant, but Kuroko could tell that, something which impeded Kagami's passion for sport was certainly no trifling matter. 

 

It proved a fruitful gamble as Kagami expressed a sort of resolve he'd not had prior and lifted his chin as he regarded the silver rabbit. An unspoken air of gratitude for that clarity was exchanged and the two, from then on, were quick to become close friends once more. 

 

Kagami did not join the basketball club for the beginning semester of their second year, occupying that time, instead, by utilizing outdoor courts with Kuroko when the blue eyed bunny was free.

 

The tiger made no bones about berating the ghost boy and his less than impressive skill with their mutual sport, but it was not something Kuroko had not experienced prior and, strangely, Kagami's critique was less condescending and more an encouragement; even a boyish term of endearment. Kuroko was not shy in returning the teasing, though he didn't pull punches and often went right for the kill; resulting in the redhead losing his playful edge and immediately retaliating with a shove or snap to 'shut it, Kuroko, you ass!'

 

They were learning much about one another concerning the time that had passed, really quite opposites in their other interests and manner of passing time. Yet the similar chemistry that solidified their friendship in childhood was holding true even currently though Kuroko had come to notice a tick Kagami would reveal when a popular subject was brought to attention. 

 

Mating did not seem to be a topic Kagami was fond of. 

 

They got along exceptionally well on the court and even in some outside aspects of their high school lives, despite a large difference in personality. Kagami had been a bit gritty at first, quick to anger, but it seemed just being able to talk to a few new people as well as play the sport he loved indeed helped. 

Aside from appearances, he was not a bad person and certainly not the 'thug' his appearance portrayed. Perhaps he'd been isolated recently, thus brought the urge for Kuroko to mention the curious topic of their 'destined mates'.

  
The entirely sour look that flashed across the redhead's face as he hulked his schoolbag high on his shoulder and wiped a bit of sweat from his jaw was a quick indication of his displeasure, however unclear it was as to why.

"It's bullshit..." He mumbled, though his tone suggested he didn't care to say as such very loudly. Not a bad move, considering the weight of what he was saying. Most might have brushed it off as someone rigid over not meeting their own partner yet, but Kagami rarely said things without meaning them. He was an honest guy, after all. 

  
"If I'm ever going to be with someone, it's going to be my choice. I'm not going to kneel and beg like a dog over something like that." He rolled his shoulder, pressed his lips tightly together while an uncomfortable scrunch wrinkled his nose.

  
"Er...no offense to dogs..."

It was a simple enough statement and yet Kuroko got the feeling he only shared a shred of his reasoning due to their rekindled friendship. Even if he was honest, he was still rather private. Topics of home life, family, friends, and other personal matters were generally tight lipped, though any mention of basketball and he could be redirected immediately, whether that was good or bad. Often it could spark an intense want for a street ball game, that being something the bunny shifter wasn't exactly equipped to deal with. As his height and build suggested, Kagami had become fearsome at the sport, truly.

His amity was a welcome break from the regular routine. Aside from club meetings and studying, Kuroko used up all his free time reading alone in the library or practicing on an empty street court...when there was one available. Things were always quiet at home, and though he generally did not mind, the sudden accompaniment to Maji Burger on occasion or an extra body on the blacktop to help him practice was like a comfortable and happy bonus.

  
But they were both becoming antsy.

 

Come end of the semester, the redhead had started making appearances in the stands at some of the Seirin games, even practice ones. It had been something Kuroko found incredibly amusing at first, noticing from where he sat on the bench in uniform, seeing the unmistakable form of his friend, looking just as uncomfortable and awkward as ever in crowds by himself. By the end he was nearly chomping at the bit, occasionally yelling out encouragement for the team he didn't even play for...yet.

 

The drawback would be Kagami's intense desire to play after the fact, urging Kuroko to join him before quickly, sometimes forcefully, reminded of the rabbit's post-game exhaustion. But the bulky second-year's comments were generally the same, win or lose, he would occasionally mutter 'I still can't wrap my head around those passes.' 

 

It honestly felt like there was no other choice. Come closing of the semester, even before the start of their summer break, Kagami had been approached by their captain, Hyuga Junpei; a guy with a seriously stern look on his face and a surprisingly low voice. Only Kuroko's sharp eyes could pinpoint the slightest shake of his fingers when approaching a guy like Kagami.

"Oi, are you just going to sit in the stands staring like an overexcited idiot all season, or are you going to join the training camp this summer?"

 

Whether it be Kagami feeling unable to protest to the particularly harsh challenge seeing as it were true, or he was embarrassed enough into action, Hyuga had successfully recruited the seemingly edgy redhead to their hellish summer training camp and Kagami was joining the basketball club in the follow semester. The tiger shifter had not accounted for the particulars of the weather for that season and was almost immediately regretting his decision only enough to make him just the slightest bit reluctant to attend practice.

 

He was, after all, very passionate for the sport. The humidity, however, was a force to be reckoned with and was unlike anything he was used to, even in California. He felt as though he were swimming through the air, perpetually surrounded in an invisible misty haze that rendered the purpose of sweating almost entirely useless. There was even a time or two when he would have to revive Kuroko from borderline unconsciousness by dunking his head under the outside faucets, though he made a habit of it himself.

 

Regardless of the sweltering heat, however, Kuroko observed Kagami's prowess did not suffer much, if at all. The team had not missed the incredible talent he exhibited during the summer, and although it was a particularly rough start to the team as he wasn't one to play nicely with others initially, Kuroko did well to help mellow him out.

 

The heat, oddly enough, helped.

 

It was far too unbearably hot to waste the energy on a bad temper and though it was common that such weather would make most the team rather irritable, the team had actually bonded particularly well under their mutual suffering. No better a companion than someone who understood one's pain from firsthand experience, or so the tall, bizarre and goofy center known as Kyoshi Teppei had said seemingly unprovoked. 

 

He had been an odd one since day one, and although a majority of the team expressed their inability to fully understand what such an individual was thinking, Kuroko could not shake the confidence he instilled within the team whenever he was on the court with them. He had an untouchable wisdom about him and an ability to read others almost frighteningly well. He was also, however, incredibly stubborn accompanied by a hero complex.

 

Kuroko felt Kagami and Kyoshi were well matched though kept that thought to himself.

 

Kuroko was settling well into his team, and was pleased to find Kagami doing the same as the silver rabbit could read an occasional tension about the tiger that was certainly remnants of a past altercation associated with the sport he so revered.

 

Where Kuroko wished to certainly help his friend, he wouldn't deny the hint of selfishness he associated with wanting to do so. Kagami was an incredible athlete, and very well equipped to be the arrow to Kuroko's bow. Knowing more about Kagami would not only help him to perhaps relax a bit more, but undoubtedly aid their game play as well. 

 

Feeling little reason to keep such a secret, Kuroko confessed to his thoughts one afternoon, having entered the solidarity of the side street court now well overgrown and comfortably secluded together. 

 

"I'm flattered." Kagami responded flatly, looking unimpressed, though not exactly surprised. Kuroko's honesty was something Kagami appreciated, albeit found unsettling at times. 

 

He wondered where the silver rabbit garnered such confidence. He wasn't sure if he would go so far as to say he admired it, but it was certainly unexpected of an otherwise harmless being. 

 

They tugged off their bags and any excess articles of clothing before positioning themselves on the court; Kuroko cupping the ball in both hands. 

 

"I thought being straightforward would be the most effective." Kuroko's expression was as even as ever, Kagami rolling his eyes and snorting at the explanation. 

 

"I guess you're not wrong, but I can't say I feel fired up by it." The scoff that followed was, despite Kagami's scrutiny, rather lighthearted. He positioned himself, waiting for Kuroko to initiate their one-on-one which would result in Kagami's inevitable victory. Kuroko, however, held fast to the ball and did not make to start anything just yet.

 

"That being said, Kagami-kun, I'm curious about your perspective on a few things." Kagami's brow perked, lifting his head just a bit as he was somewhat curious about the blue haired boy's demeanor. His inquisitive expression did not remain long as Kuroko proceeded to explain. 

 

"For example, you haven't made it much of a secret that you're against mating." Kagami's mood visibly soured and his ears and tail, which he'd often kept hidden and only recently had been unintentionally letting slip out when anticipating a match, were curling in and flattening against his head. Kuroko's chin tilted down just a bit, his eyes earnest and voice even.

 

"I would like to know more about it." 

 

The discomfort that radiated off him was palpable. No doubt if it had been anyone else, he would have brushed off the topic or simply refused to answer. Even so, he still didn't look prepared to engage in it; crimson eyes flicking off to the side while his stance loosened from where he'd been crouched in anticipation for the match.   
  
"There isn't much to say. I just don't like it." His attempts to leave the conversation there were shut down by the unwavering blue stare he received and hands that didn't let the ball in them move an inch. It was an effective way to hold his attention, albeit incredibly simple. Kagami was childish in his wants and tendencies.  
  
With a heavy huff, the striped tail behind him flicked sharply in annoyance.

 

"I don't like the idea of being forced to do anything. I'm surprised you don't have similar feelings about it." His eyes finally swept back to make contact with his friend's, his stare a mixture of different things as he was the exact opposite of the bunny shifter when it came to displaying emotion. It was nearly impossible for him to detach from it.

 

"Don't you want to pick who you're with?”

With a quirk of a silver ear, Kuroko was cocking his head to the side just a bit, shifting his hold on the ball to cradle a bit closer to himself.

 

"I think that's natural for everyone, Kagami-kun." Kuroko countered evenly, though he was casting his gaze down to the leather grip of the ball, splaying his fingers across it and feathering them down along the grooved pattern. 

 

"Naturally, people wish to be able to make their own choices in life. I don't think it's wrong to be frustrated when unable to do so." Kuroko agreed before he was twirling the ball in hand once to cup it in his grip more resolutely. Raising his nigh translucent eyes of bright blue, he caught Kagami's gaze in a manner that had the shifter alert to attention; black and white ears locking forward while his tail continued to sway behind him in mild inquisition.

 

"I believe it can be considered both a blessing and a curse." Kuroko straightened, his body language changing as he indicated the initiation of their practice match. "Whichever aspect of that you pay the most attention to is your choice." And with that, Kuroko did not elaborate on his belief any longer, feeling no further need to inquire after Kagmai's opinion. In due time, he was certain, the tiger shifter would confide in him a bit more, little by little.

 

Kuroko understood where his friend was coming from and would not deny he'd had such thoughts himself before. The silver rabbit was certain, however, there was more to it than opinion alone. 

 

As was expected, at the end of their match which ended purely due to Kuroko's lack of stamina to continue, Kuroko lost to Kagami yet again; 27 to 0. 

 

Kagami jibed at Kuroko slightly after their game, hardly winded at all, though the comments had just become part of their rapport, something that they did as a team and with mutual understanding of each other's strengths. Still, he couldn't help but complain when the rabbit couldn't even make a proper shot at the hoop, even when all the first years and benchwarmers could. It just seemed basic. Then again, the little rabbit wasn't like any player he'd ever known. He'd never be cut out for a one-on-one, but it would be a lie to say the team could do without him. 

 

Still, he was hungry for challenge. As much as he actually enjoyed practicing with Kuroko and as much as the boy's talents interested and baffled him simultaneously, he was itching to be tested. He was craving the kind of match that would make his head feel numb and his muscles ache. There were frustrations he'd yet to shake since his arrival in Japan and the only way he knew how to vent was to play until he couldn't move. 

His fingers instinctually began to fiddle with the silver ring dangling around his neck while the other hand toyed with the ball absentmindedly, spinning it, even bouncing it off his own arms like a juggling act. Kuroko was gathering up his things, spraying water into his mouth from his bottle while he continued to pant softly, only to be interrupted by Kagami's soft train of thought.

  
"I think I'm not ready to have a relationship even if I could choose...I feel like there's a lot of stuff I want to do first." It was rare to have an unprompted opinion from him, especially from the topic he avoided like it were a death curse.

 

Kuroko's attention had been drawn successfully as Kagami confessed more to his feelings far sooner than Kuroko had expected, and such made the silver rabbit just a bit contented as he hadn't believed Kagami felt so comfortable so quickly. Though, he supposed, the tiger came off terribly abrasive and many others naturally avoided him. He didn't have many friends, thus the few he did he was dedicated to.

 

Kagami was, contrary to his impression, a kindhearted individual. 

 

Thus, Kuroko did everything within his power to listen and respectfully process what it was Kagami had to say. Admittedly, he didn't disagree with what his old friend argued, and such made it easy to want to fall into a similar mindset as the redhead. But Kuroko was as introspective and as receptive to variety as one could possibly be. He had to be open minded in order to play the sport he so loved, thus he hadn't much of a choice when it came to occasionally playing devil's advocate.

 

He wouldn't admit all the time that it was, for the most part, an enjoyable pass time for him. Kuroko liked holding just a bit of power over those who would otherwise unequivocally dominate him in any physical challenge. His wit was his weapon after all.

 

In that moment, he chose not to press Kagami's perspective much, relishing in the idea that the redhead had initiated such conversation at all and was content with that alone. 

 

"I hope then, Kagami-kun, you'll be allotted the time you desire for yourself." Kuroko concluded, eyes clear and crystal as he traded looks with his friend, an exchange of mutual respect communicated in their eyes before Kuroko was pulling his backpack up onto his shoulder and straightening himself just a bit. 

 

In a somewhat spontaneous desire to cause a bit of mischief, Kuroko was pointing out that one of Kagami's laces had come undone and, without reason to doubt the blue eyed boy, he was preparing himself to retie them. It took not a second or so later for Kagami to realize they were, in fact, tied perfectly and neatly double knotted for good measure. When he made to look back up and cast a look of inquisitive annoyance to the rabbit, there was no one in front of him. 

 

He stiffened a bit, tail straightening and ears perking forward before Kuroko's voice cut the silence as he addressed him from outside the court already, successfully earning a slight yelp and a jump out of the tiger. Despite Kagami nearly decking the ghost boy and bellowing out that he'd done that on  _purpose,_ Kuroko never solidified if it was or was not. 

 

The small bunny boy had an affinity for little thrills and was quick tongued though he often kept quiet. He wasn't often surrounded by anything troublesome or mysterious, often being the mystery himself, though he fancied his fair share of peculiar situations. 

 

He never expected to be so heavily involved in one himself in just the following months of summer and the start of school again. Kuroko was not an individual who intimidated easy, but he would have been dishonest if he tried to claim he hadn't felt unsettled by the sudden and persistent presence another shifter who, as Kuroko came to observe, was an athlete himself and played the same sport as he.

 

Such, however, was not so coincidental as Kuroko was occupying a basketball court and was visited by the shifter. Not one to judge a book be one's cover, Kuroko made his attempts to successfully get to know why, exactly, such a stranger was so determined to locate him, though Kuroko had long since deduced that whatever the tall, dark skinned shifter caught wind of, Kuroko was not the source. 

 

The relationship he had developed with the individual was a unique one, and one Kuroko was assured would be unlike any other; recalling upon the memory of their interaction at a burger joint that was, for the first time, unprompted by the shifter Kuroko had learned was named Aomine Daiki. 

 -

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Len: Thank you everyone for your patience, I'm so sorry it took so long for this chapter to be posted!! There is much happening in the lives of BCC and myself, so we haven't had much free time to dedicate to editing!
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I know some of you were eager for Kise and Kuroko but patience is a virtue. You will be rewarded, I promise. Also, Kagami's long awaited appearance has been rectified~ Stay tuned for more!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The relationship he had developed with the individual was a unique one, and one Kuroko was assured would be unlike any other; recalling upon the memory of their interaction at a burger joint that was, for the first time, unprompted by the shifter Kuroko had learned was named Aomine Daiki.

The incident began not long after the start of classes and regular practice for their club. In fact, it was an evening after one of said practices that Kuroko found himself staring, having picked up the scent of the panther shifter as he entered the large burger joint on the corner that the rabbit tended to frequent for his preferred shakes.   
  
Was he really going to be stalked all the way here? And why had the boy been following him in the first place? It wasn't consistent, but certainly no less unnerving to have the attention of such a seemingly powerful shifter. It felt like almost a blessing that Kagami had not joined him this time, having hung back by request of the coach to go over something she found distasteful, whether that be his teamwork or his grades. It was best not to stick around with her wrath incurred, whatever the reason. But for certain if something were going to be started because of this shifter, he’d rather not involve the short-tempered alpha.  
  
It wasn't hard to detect by his scent that this panther was an alpha too and potentially aggressive.  
  
Regardless, watching him enter the building now, his demeanor was not expected, nor was the quality of his scent quite what it had been when he was, for whatever reason, trying to track the small rabbit boy. He looked  _bored_ , even.  
  
So his presence was a coincidence then? It certainly seemed to spell out such things as the shifter waited for his tray of food with a lazy swish to his tail, sucking on a straw, scuffing his sneakers against the tile floor with hands jammed in his pockets and school uniform in a rather unkempt state. Maybe it was just a tendency for big cats, especially those on top, but his mannerisms were almost laughably similar to the tiger shifter he'd become close with, albeit perhaps a bit more unruly.   
  
Gray ears flicked forward to attention as suddenly the body he was watching was turning to square off toward him, eyes landing directly on his table and gait propelling him forward with a clear destination in mind. Just a bit of nervousness settled in Kuroko's gut, now knowing this was indeed his destination, even if that hadn't at all appeared to be his goal when he walked in. At least he looked calm.  
  
Actually....was he really paying attention?

Ultimately, Kuroko opted to remain silent as the tan panther shifter moseyed over and plopped himself down with little regard; tail lazy and ears at a resting position. He did not seem to acknowledge Kuroko's presence in the slightest, eyes glazed over with disinterest in his surroundings. It was in those few moments of invisibility that Kuroko observed those few interesting facets of his personality. 

 He looked lonely. 

 The young man cocked his head in Kuroko's direction, regarding him with the same bored look before peering off and taking a bite of his food. Kuroko waited with an anticipatory perk to his silver ears for it all to click into place.

 As predicted, not a second later, the tall cobalt eyed stranger was doing a double take, one that sported a face far more expressive than the last and nearly choked as he swallowed reflexively from shock. Kuroko was just somewhat pleased to have been awarded such dynamics from an individual otherwise so aloof. 

Once he muscled down the bite, he was drawing in a breath and leaning forward so rapidly, the table shook slightly. 

"You--!!"

With practiced composure, Kuroko nodded his head politely as though he had intended to meet with him from the start. Anxiety of the situation had long since left the silver rabbit once he found interest in the purpose of the feline. 

"Hello." He responded, voice even and soft, a smooth tenor that prefaced him closing pink lips over the tip of his straw to suckle. 

For whatever reason, such incurred a bewildered frustration from the tanned boy and Kuroko was leaning back only slightly as he stood right up to lean menacingly over his food and pointedly into Kuroko's space. He would have been just slightly more intimidated if Kuroko had not pointedly observed the fringe to the shifter's tail and the somewhat unsettled twitch to his brow as he stared the blue eyed bunny down with fiery cobalt as though he would disappear at any minute. 

He looked as though he still wasn't entirely convinced Kuroko wasn't a ghost that had decided to preoccupy its time causing distress and grief for the panther. 

"Who the hell do you think you are--" such was far less startling when biting back the quiver of fear in his voice. Kuroko was impressed he managed to maintain face and not smile in amusement. He rather liked this shifter already despite his earlier innings with him. 

"Kuroko Tetsuya; I was here first, actually." He was quite certain some of the panther's irritability was associated with the idea that Kuroko had intentionally slipped in unnoticed after the alpha feline was seated in order to create a spectacle from his shock at having unexpected company. He'd been met with that accusation before, after all. 

"That's bullshit -- And what's the deal with your weak ass smell -- I can't even notice something that smells like nothing!!" His surprise was immediately channeled into anger to cope, wanting to blame the shock due to lack of attention on some outside source. This guy...was actually very easy to read, at least in personality. Much of that took the edge off of the uncertainty surrounding the panther. He was hardly mysterious or threatening when flushing, fidgeting and snapping after being spooked.  
  
Really, he was just like a spoiled child.  
  
"I didn't mean to startle you. I actually assumed you came in here with the intention to speak with me after following me around so often." The words spoken with such blunt honesty in such an even tone made the tan athlete's temple tick, pushing the double layered burger back down to his tray with a thunk of his hand. 

"You've got some damn cheek-" He grumbled, lip curling just a bit to flash sharp feline teeth, though once again, the rabbit was unwavering.  
  
"I'm just saying what’s obvious. You have been following me. Of course, I'm curious to know why." That and toying with him just a little was a bit exhilarating. Could he really be blamed with all these alphas flaunting their power plays?

With an abrupt flick, the sleek black tail cut the air silently behind the panther shifter, dark eyes narrowed so small and sharp, brow heavily guttered in displeasure. Curiosity must have held him there, otherwise it was unclear as to why he remained sitting with the waves of irritation and discomfort radiating off his form.  
  
"You have a weird scent once in a while. Not now, but sometimes you smell strong. I can't understand it." The dark ears atop his head finally flicked away from their concentrated lean toward the rabbit shifter, relaxing a bit more, though his tail was still doing it's jerky, irritated dance through the hole of the tall chair. "But obviously it's bullshit. You hardly smell any different than stale pudding right now. If I couldn't see your ears, I probably wouldn't guess you're a shifter. I don't know why Satsuki won't shut up about you."

Apparently getting the truth from the alpha didn’t prove to be difficult at all.

Oddly enough, despite the particularly crass manner in which the panther was regarding him, Kuroko didn't feel terribly defensive or inclined to snap back at the rude remarks. He was taking a sip of his shake, calm and collected before swallowing and remarking in a demur and levelheaded manner.

"I would take a scent hardly noticeable over something overbearing and potent. How do you suppose I managed to avoid you as long as I have?" He suctioned his lips back over the tip of his straw and swallowed sweet cream as the panther looked even more irritated than before; the silver rabbit remaining unfazed by the explosive energy he was exhibiting which contrasted his earlier indifference.

Before they could exchange much else in conversation, Kuroko was rising, having finished his shake and thus had no further inclination to remain. He was tossing a somewhat bright-eyed look to the panther, perhaps hoping to evoke some sort of enlightenment as they locked eyes. Kuroko lowered his chin ever so slightly, his expression softening and almost playful despite being relatively impassive. Sky blue eyes had much to communicate.

"I would have been more apt to stop and listen, had you smelled of stale pudding instead of dirty laundry, perspiration and raw meat." Though it was certainly a jibe, Kuroko's voice held a particular tenor to it that softened the words to something just a little more blithe. He didn't delay in seeing the stranger react, reaching for his bag and hoisting it up onto his shoulder before turning to the tan man, bowing just the slightest bit, then promptly continued on his way and out of the building. 

He didn't predict their encounters to continue from that point on.

He was very, very wrong.

Not only did they continue, but it continued not fifteen seconds after Kuroko had stepped out of the large fast food restaurant. He hadn't sensed anything other than bristling from the panther when he left the room, nothing that truly indicated he took the comments in any sort of way that would make him violent. Of course, when he heard the door burst open, the little electronic beeper alerting to someone entering or exiting, he felt his hair stand on end and his instincts to bolt suddenly ripe in the back of his head.  
  
He wouldn't get the chance. Fast as he was, naturally a panther was faster, especially on an open street. His back hit the building hard, his bag shockingly still around his shoulder, though it was crushed between their two bodies as the tall, dusky stranger was far, far too close to him.  
  
Was he really going to get violent in the middle of the street?! Usually Kuroko's judgements of individuals were pretty accurate. He had not anticipated this kind of action. But even as he squeezed one eye shut in anticipation of being dealt some sort of blow or bite, it did not come, though the grip on his arms was tight and unyielding.   
  
The shifter’s nose pressed against the creamy column of Kuroko’s throat, causing the little blue-haired bunny shifter to stiffen immediately, his sneaker lifting off the pavement and tapping down just slightly in a little sound of warning, though did not stomp and remained poised to kick if need be. That was a sensitive area for any shifter, after all. Such was generally an immediate threat when exposed by a stranger.   
  
There was no punch, no bite, no heavy snarling....not even the panther's scent was particularly aggressive. So what-  
  
His rabbit ears flicked forward, hands twitching as he felt his face wanting to color somewhat while the nose that had pressed to his neck was now trailing down, skimming over his chest, even pushing to his belly through his jacket.   
  
He was just being  _sniffed_.  
  
"Are you fucking-- Stop fidgeting --  _Dammit_  -- where the fuck is it---"

Kuroko remained relatively still as the panther continued to travel along his body, nose firmly pressed against him and taking large whiffs as he moved. When he closed in on more intimate areas, Kuroko was drawing in a breath and pressed a hand firmly to the head of dark blue hair and shoving him pointedly away; pale cheeks just slightly flush with color. 

"What are you doing--" Kuroko only hoped he did not need to elaborate that he was well aware of what he was doing, more he wanted to know  _why_. 

He was met with an irritated look from below, a large palm coming to curl around his slim wrist in order to pull the silver rabbit's hand from his head. 

"Hah? I'm  _smelling_  you, obviously." He had little shame in admitting as such, finding virtually no issue with the matter and even brought the captured wrist to press to his nose, sniffing that a bit as well while coming to stand at full height. 

As it appeared, Kuroko  _would_  have to elaborate. With ears ever so slightly flattened and a rosiness to his visage, he was plucking his wrist away from the panther's possession and thought it incredible that the dusky alpha had the audacity to sport an expression of incredulity. He wasn't modest in the slightest. 

"I'm well aware. I mean why are you doing this?" In an effort to compose himself, he was petting down a few fluffy locks of baby blue hair that had been ruffled out of place. 

That triggered something as the tall boy was lurching forward and immediately burrowing his nose into his downy hair, making Kuroko nearly jump in surprise while his ears perked right upward. 

The panther shifter was sniffing a few times, concentrated before settling on one spot in particular, right at the top of his head and drew in a deep, heavy breath. 

He'd found something. 

" _This-_ " It came out as a snarl, two large hands clasping the sides of Kuroko's head as he held him in place, perhaps even a bit too tightly while he drew in deep breaths, trying to fill his lungs with whatever scent of interest he'd found. The frustrated huffing that came in between outlined the fact that this discovery was not enough even if he found whatever it was he had been sniffing around for.  
  
" _Why the hell is this smell on you?!"_  Was this really the reason he'd been essentially stalked since that pink haired rabbit girl had found him, accompanied by the lack-luster panther? Kuroko made a soft grunt of discomfort as his head was gripped so tightly, being squished by the large hands and iron grip.  
  
"I -- honestly don't know -- what smell it is--"  
  
The top of his head? Honestly, it could be anything. Especially during basketball practice, that being a rather hands on sport, many of his fellow teammates, especially his senpai, had a tendency to pat the top of his head after he performed admirably or needed encouragement. It was an easy place to reach, considering many of his teammates were taller by quite a bit.  
  
Or in the case of his coach, she liked to grip it when she was irritable, but most of her irritation had been focused on Kagami today. Could he be picking up her scent or another teammate? The chances of that were high rather than just a random encounter if this was a scent he'd picked up before.  
  
"Are you -- a fan of men's shampoo?" The tanned teen paused, pulling the rabbit's head back to stare at his expression, his face almost looking bewildered at that kind of wise-crack from such a small and seemingly powerless shifter. It wasn't his first of the night either. Normally such would just get on his nerves, but something about this kid was...interesting.  
  
"Tch. Fine." With a breath of relief at having his head finally surrendered, Kuroko was allowed to fall back into a normal stance while the feline shifter took a step back and flicked his tail, the edges of his mouth in a light smirk. "You're obviously pretty clueless too. Could be a family member, could be a classmate. I'll just follow you till I figure it out."  
  
Wait...seriously? That would certainly be problematic. Having a large, alpha panther shifter stalking him around. Not to mention, normally others didn't pay him any mind at all.   
  
"No, that's really impossible."

Instinctually, Kuroko was tidying himself once the larger of the two had released him, situating his hair and pulling at the wrinkled creases of his clothing. The panther only cocked a fluffy black ear, followed by an eyebrow as he stuffed his hands in his pockets casually. 

"You think after finally tracking you down, I'm going to let you waltz away? Fat chance." He snorted, tail curling at his feet. The silver-eared rabbit remained relatively deadpanned, though his eyes were glimmering and his cottontail was flicking mischievously behind him. 

"That sounds like something a pervert would say. And you didn't track me down, we met by coincidence, in case you forgot."

As was to be expected, the panther's tail bristled, ears going back and teeth bearing as he hissed defensively; unable to hide the slight color on his cheeks as his temple ticked in anger. 

"I'm not a pervert! My name is Aomine Daiki, and a little runt like you would do well to remember." He growled, tail flicking about while he pointed his finger in an accusatory manner at the rabbit shifter. His display of confidence was, as much as the now named Aomine did not wish to admit, rather admirable. 

Again, Kuroko was unperturbed, pushing Aomine's finger away from his face, positioning the strap of the duffle bag higher up on his shoulder while his little ears twitched. 

"I'm not obliged to remember but I doubt I'll forget someone as impressionable as you. Aomine-kun, however, most likely doesn't even remember  _my_  name." He countered with the slightest amount of a detectable challenge to his tone. Successfully baited, Aomine was firing back that Kuroko hadn't even introduced himself yet, to which the blue haired boy evenly stated that he undoubtedly had. They played a fleeting game of word pong, Aomine insisting he was bluffing while Kuroko, unwavering, claimed such was the truth. 

Aomine couldn't argue the look in Kuroko's eye, feeling less and less assured of himself as his body language became awkward and irritated; too proud to fully admit he had, in fact, forgotten but not so rude as to remain indignant.  

"Well fine - what was it again." The request came out a somewhat humble murmur, Aomine rubbing the back of his neck and averting his gaze somewhat. He missed the little victorious curl to the corners of Kuroko's mouth; tail fluffing a bit as he conceded to Aomine's request. 

"Kuroko Tetsuya." 

Aomine was giving another scoff, his hand dropping from his neck to give Kuroko a once over before he was sniffing this time, muted amusement evident in his eyes and the soft, casual sway of his tail.

"Y'know, you're a spunky little shit." He pocketed his hands then, body language something nonchalant, even friendly.

"Thank you." Kuroko admonished with a nod. 

Aomine nearly laughed then, but not quite. 

"That wasn't exactly a compliment. Have you no sense of survival?" He stepped back, allowing Kuroko the room to move finally. The smaller teen didn't take the initiative just yet; placing his hand atop his duffle bag as he countered Aomine's remark, sounding somewhat unamused at being made light of. 

"I trust in the morality of my fellow peers not to commit murder." He said dryly, earning another half snicker from the panther. 

Another small huff of a snort exhaled from the panther, head cocking a bit. "Yeah but you still get instincts. Most of your type of shifter just flattens their ears when they talk to a predator at first, even if they're an alpha." Even if they didn't truly think they were going to be killed, the feeling of being alert, maybe even alarmed at a powerful presence was there. Some could conceal the outward signals, but it was just nature to feel that way. Then again, the rabbit named Kuroko Tetsuya was really an odd one to begin with, his scent already much weaker than it should have been. Judging from whoever was rubbing off on him, however, maybe he was used to tangling with predators.   
  
"Seirin...huh?" With a flick of his dark blues down, it was easy to read the logo on Kuroko’s sports bag. To be honest, he wasn't really familiar with the school. If it wasn't on his radar, chances were he had never tangled with the team....or perhaps he had, but they were too weak to make an impression. Basketball was the only way he paid much mind to students from other schools, aside from Kise.   
  
Ah...speaking of which, he still had to look forward to that match, assuming Kise's team was good enough to make it.  
  
"Well, you probably picked up that smell from basketball, huh? Unless you've got some strong friends hanging off you at school." At least, his instinct was telling him someone of physical prowess or animal hierarchy had left it. Perhaps it could have been a mating scent left by a girl....but it just wasn't in his gut feeling. Not that he would oppose, certainly, to meeting a woman with that kind of scent. Whatever it was, it was good. It got him fired up.  
  
"Well, that's good news for me. I'm on a team. You play High School basketball, right?" He wouldn't have to exert himself much further if this stranger with a good smell would be coming right to him on the court.

Kuroko gave a single nod in response, ears quirking lightly as he was instinctively attuned to Aomine's movements. Aomine was sniffing, cocking his head and giving a half lopsided grin, rimmed with exhaustion and only the faintest hints of amusement.

"Alright then. I'll see you at the Inter High, then." His expression turned mischievous, feeling unable to keep himself from trying to provoke the silver rabbit now that they had established a power play with one another. "That is, if your team is strong enough." 

The bait didn’t seem to work as anticipated, though it did gain a somewhat strange furrow to the boy’s brow.

"We’ve…already participated in Inter High this year… Were you not a participant?”  
  
Raised brows met his words as the panther seemed to actually need a moment of reflection to know. How that was possible seemed…odd.

  
“Ah…Guess that did go by. Missed the end of that, so I forgot…”  
  
There was a small bout of silence as the rabbit tried to briefly sort out in his head whether it was that this young man was simply not a very engaged athlete, or something else. Either way, his musings did not last long.  
  
“Two of my senpai were gravely injured in-game during the tournament, so we did not make it very far..." He tilted his chin down ever so slightly, something swimming in his eyes like a flame ready to spark and crackle, and yet he had it so professionally tamed, he would have appeared entirely nonthreatening otherwise. 

"We will be back full force come winter." 

Though Aomine desired to mock the pale boy for such a blatant confession that indicated their team was, in fact, particularly meager, he could only regard him on an equal playing field. There was something exchanged within the gaze of athletes passionate about their sport, and though the little blue eyed bunny boy had little else to offer as it seemed, his eyes communicated everything his stature did not. Aomine's mouth quirked up a bit, black ears flicking as his tail coiled to the side and whipped outward in manner of repressed excitement.

"Alright, then. Winter Cup it is." He remarked casually before back pedaling just a bit; a light skip to his step.

"Your friend; you mentioned her name was Satsuki-san. What is her full name?" Kuroko broke silence, the question seeming out of place, though Aomine didn't hesitate to respond.

"Ah? Momoi Satsuki." He paused in his stride, watching as Kuroko gave the slightest bow to his head; that powerful scent just carrying along the breeze as it ruffled his hair once more.

"Give my regards to Momoi-san as well." He finished politely, having observed the two commonly together. He hadn't expected to be parting ways with the alpha panther in such a manner, but he had to admit, it was a very interesting exchange; one he wasn't sure if he should be grateful for or not. He couldn't exactly avoid it, however, and although Aomine had expressed little resistance, Kuroko couldn't shake the feeling of intrigue and resolution that settled around him - like he would be involved with the dark skinned man for a long time coming.

Perhaps indefinitely. 

And as the time had passed further into his second year, it had been consistently proven to be an accurate feeling indeed. There was a familiarity Kuroko experienced in dealing with Kagami as well, and in a way, Kuroko was interested to see what the two of them would do, should they meet one another. It piqued the bunny's curiosity of Aomine's stance on mating as well. Would he be so opposed to it as Kagami was?

Again, when the topic arose, Kagami's body language became stiff, his lips curled downward and his interestingly-shaped brows deeply furrowed. He was naturally a stubborn guy, but this was a new level of stubborn. There were stronger feelings attached to it than he let on.   
  
Had he a bad experience with the subject somehow? He wasn't mated - it was clear by his scent that had yet to occur, yet he had such a negative reaction each time it was on the table.  
  
' _Doesn't it just make you feel like a mindless animal?_ ' The redhead finally seemed to crack somewhat under the calm questioning, letting some of his true feelings out as he got a hint of a more frustrated, even disgusted Kagami. In a way, of course, it made sense. Yes, technically, they had little choice how they reacted once in the presence of their destined mate, or so he heard. And that initial interaction...more often than not, led to a rather racy finish as the pair can't help but immediately claim the other in a heated clash of bodies. In rare cases...some mates were seriously wounded. Even rarer, they could die, especially if there was a power struggle or one tried to fight the connection.  
  
There truly was little choice in the matter, but the positive stories seemed to vastly outweigh the negative outcomes when one looked beyond the gory scope of media coverage. Generally, people lived comfortably with their new found mate, even if it was rocky at first. The worst and most common of the damaging outcomes was only when 'unmated' couples would suddenly be torn apart by one half suddenly coming upon their fated other. More deaths had resulted of that than mates actually killing one another.   
  
Kuroko could see it all, the reasons why Kagami could possibly want nothing to do with the concept...but he somehow hadn't expected him to be so fiercely passionate about it, especially in the sense of wanting to oppose and deny a thing so largely connected to his species. It was generally considered as inevitable as death.   
  
Then again, Kagami also had a habit of hiding his ears and tail, as well as avoiding conversation revolving around things exclusive to shifters. He also often referred to people in a general sense, blatant in not differentiating shifters from human beings.   
  
His friend had a chip on his shoulder about his species, though he'd yet to uncover why. 

Kuroko often did not beat around the bush and felt it far more effective to be straight forward when attempting to get results, but he wouldn't deny his tendencies to occasionally manipulate the situation to his benefit. Such was something he may or may not have picked up from a friend from long ago and someone he attributed much of his success in basketball to. They had a very bizarre relationship if he took time to reflect and often when he did, he found himself hoping they would cross paths again in the future. 

Oddly enough it was not out of a desire to rekindle a lost friendship per se, rather he was quite curious as to where that exalted individual was headed with his life. 

But such was another story entirely. Kuroko opted to take the more discreet path when traversing Kagami's take on mating instead of asking him outright, and though it was painstakingly longer to uncover, it was far more effective when it came to respecting Kagami's feelings. Eventually, Kagami felt comfortable enough to bring up the topic unprovoked, and though Kuroko had no desire to poke about a wound, sometimes it helped to get your thoughts out into words. 

There wasn't a lot Kuroko had learned that he hadn't already assumed himself, though it was helpful to affirm such things regardless. He had thought that perhaps Kagami's parents were unmated and one had perhaps found their mate after having Kagami, but upon further speculation, Kuroko changed his hypothesis to the idea that they were, in fact, a mated pair, but something simply wasn't right. 

As it turned out, Kuroko had predicted correctly. Though Kagami had not endeavored to reveal much, he admitted his parents were mated, but the dazzling life of a mated pair was not one they lived, and Kagami suffered the repercussions. It took some observation and a lot of piecing the puzzle together, but Kuroko found that, instead of the assumption that they perhaps fought with one another or did not get along for whatever reason, as such would be quite baffling as mates, they rarely interacted at all. 

Perhaps that was even more confounding if one stopped to think about it. The passion of their connection would, in a way, make sense if it were channeled into bickering or fighting, but if they did not interact at all, where did such a drive lead? Left with little other options, Kuroko assumed they simply forced themselves to focus elsewhere and otherwise. He could not reason why do such a thing, but every individual had their burdens and ticks. He simply wished Kagami did not have to ride the ripples of their wave.

He was glad their coach had scheduled a practice match in the early fall and just on the cusp of late summer. Kagami had very recently joined and much of his attention had been poured into the sport; something Kuroko was quite grateful for as he found his old friend did well when exerting his attention to a passion than elsewhere.

He was immensely talented and though Kuroko knew his own potentials were focused elsewhere, he couldn't help feeling somewhat envious of Kagami's abilities. He was very impressed and though he did feel covetous, Kagami's prowess was rather inspirational as well. He sincerely hoped there would be opponents formidable enough for him in their coming season. 

Such was another reason he was grateful for their practice game. He had heard from their coach Riko that not only was the team a commendable one, but they had one player in particular who added a burst of momentum to their formidability. In his first year at their school, they rose impeccably so in ranking and he was, as according to Riko's findings, also a rising star in the modeling industry. Perhaps not a relevant factor, but it would shed some light on who he was and make it rather easy to investigate, which happened to be her specialty.

Admittedly, Kuroko only paid attention to what he deemed important for their upcoming match and actually found it somewhat troublesome that someone would potentially create an uproar upon their arrival. He would prefer their practice match remain as undisturbed as possible.

That being said, he busied himself with running basic drills and warming up, occupying his time with Kagami as the two of them worked well together, as it turned out. He was careful not to over exert himself in light of their coming match, though as Kagami handed him a towel, Kuroko felt a rather strange and unsettling sensation kindle in his gut; his towel slipping from his fingers and fluttering to the floor.

The new ace picked up on it immediately. "Oy, Kuroko. You alright?"

"Ah - yes, sorry. I was distracted for a moment." His response came as Kagami blinked, though seemed to accept the answer with a small shrug. Kuroko was not likely to lie, in fact, more often than not, he told the truth far too often and too bluntly.   
  
The red-head snatched up the towel for him, tossing it over his head before announcing he should take a breather to get it together before he himself squirted water in his mouth and prepared for more drills. Kagami couldn't seem to keep himself contained, especially after learning what kind of team their practice match was with. It was incredible, the kind of stamina he harbored.   
  
Of course, it was hard to focus on that with this unfamiliar, nagging feeling prodding at the back of his mind. What the source or what the nature of said feeling could be was beyond him, making the experience even more bizarre.

There was no present danger, so perhaps it was just unexpected nerves when going up against a stronger team? Or maybe he was picking up the scent of one of the talented athletes and reacting naturally to someone with formidable strength and presence. Then again, it seemed Kagami would react to something like that as well, even if their standing as shifters was different. Alphas generally picked up on other alphas faster than the rest, especially if there were any aggressive tendencies with one or the other. But the team was acting quite normally; could he perhaps be coming down with something?

Kuroko shifted against the bench, attempting to settle in a bit more as he took the advice of taking a moment to collect himself and break from their warm ups. He huffed out slowly, letting the notches of his spine ease while his posture softened, following it with a deep, calming breath in.  
  
Or rather, it had been intended as a calming agent. It had the opposite effect. As he inhaled a deep lungful, something in his chest throbbed and his eyes widened as every hair on his neck stood on end. Something was not right, that was for sure. But still, the reasoning eluded him as his blues scanned his team for any sort of reaction.

Nothing.  
  
His heart rate climbed higher.

He remained seated for a moment longer, wondering if perhaps he was experiencing a very sudden and relatively inexplicable panic attack. He did not scare easy despite the nature of his type of shifter, though it wasn't a one hundred percent impossibility. 

As a child he had been rather timid at times, yet he had been spared much harm or mishap; something most would attribute to luck. Kuroko, however, was only so fortunate due to a particularly measly presence which often resulted in most not noticing him there in the first place, and those who just so happened to frequently came to forget he was there regardless. 

Such a cloak of invisibility had provided him the time to observe many others in their interactions and he had thus honed a keen eye for ones disposition. As a result, Kuroko was not so easily intimidated by the aura of others, be it alphas or not and could very easily interpret their intentions after glance or two. 

Certainly there were a few exceptions to his otherwise impeccable judge of character, one example being the oddly behaved panther alpha that had zealously and not so zealously stalked him for a time, but even then Kuroko had been quite perceptive as to why. 

With all that, coming back to deducing what was happening to him left the blue eyed rabbit entirely puzzled as none of his other teammates were showing any sign of distress or unsettlement. The emotion was difficult to place, balanced on the edge of unnerving and exhilarating and every deep breath he would attempt resulted in dragging him deeper under this strange spell. He was beginning to fidget more, trying to occupy his mind with minuscule physical gestures, stretching, hopping, shaking out his hands, as he was being met with swells of energy he'd never dealt with before; often the victim of sub par stamina and always quick to tire. 

It was when the door to the gym opened as one of the members returned from outside that the scent Kuroko had been reacting to was swept in on an up draft, far more potent and concentrated than moments ago. Kuroko was going rigid, stiffening as he was standing upright with ears locked forward and tail lifted, his heart beginning to flutter in his chest as realization struck him into a tizzy. 

He was going into heat. 

Stunned into a state of excited panic, Kuroko was quietly scuttling across the gym, whirred into a bizarre limbo of hyper focus and distraction. He was unsure of how to proceed, what his next step should consist of as he was plucking up the basketball he'd been using and returned it to the cart, walking somewhat hurriedly one way before pausing and pivoting, heading in another direction entirely. Having never felt so overwhelmed, Kuroko was eager to escape any potential scrutiny from his teammates; instinctually seeking someplace private but at such a loss of where to go. He was operating on nigh auto pilot, quite aware of what was coming and simply doing everything he could to remain as cognizant and coherent as he possible could. He found talking to himself just under his breath was effective for the time being. 

With fingers curled into the fabric of his gym shorts as he walked, Kuroko headed toward the hall exit before stopping and turning back around to walk over to the court sidelines; squatting down and plucking up his sports bag before standing upright. Clutching said bag against his chest, he then scurried toward the exit hall once more, his pace having become slightly brisk as he disappeared unnoticed from the gym.

He needed to find the nearest place of privacy and _fast._

Had he the right of mind, such a location would never pass under any circumstance, but as it were, he was unsure of what else to do; legs already quaking and already short of breath.

Ducking into the universal sports utility closet, Kuroko was dazedly peering about, arms clutched around his bag before he was putting it down momentarily to clamber up a bit of shelving. Balancing and stretching himself a bit to reach the one window of the room, he delicately drew the blind, struggling ever so slightly for a moment before successfully swathing the room in shadow. The darkness helped only vaguely, but did very little else as Kuroko plucked his bag back up and tucked himself against a rack of baseball bats and a cart of soccer balls to wait, doing his best to breathe evenly and steadily. 

Even if he had some sort of inkling as to what was happening to his body, it was an incredibly strange sensation, one he couldn't quite wrap his head around. If these were truly mating hormones, why was he feeling this jittery, overexcited, and still somehow frightened? He had been told he would likely want to seek out his mate once he caught scent of them, but something in the back of his mind, once he’d settled into the dark, was beginning to urge him to either get away, or immediately hunch down and let whatever happened happen.

Did this mean perhaps the _female_ was the alpha in their relationship? Biologically speaking, that was particularly rare. Or possibly, did this mean his destined mate was in fact the same gender, and the one with more dominant traits of the two?

  
It wasn’t as common, for sure, but it was not unheard of by any means. Another pulse rocked his body and he buried his face more so in his bag, trying not to breathe much through his nose while his knees tucked in. It was a good smell, an incredibly good smell, but it was so overwhelmingly powerful, even dangerous. It was scorching his throat and he couldn’t choose whether to breathe in deeper or stop breathing all together as he only became more and more lightheaded as it grew in strength.   
  
Not to mention the ache between his legs.   
  
He was not a particularly hormone driven person, despite the kind of shifter he was born to be. Yes, puberty had brought on some urges, some he would care not to bring to light, but certainly nothing of this magnitude, nothing that compared to the kind of heat and temptation that rippled through him currently. 

Lifting his head from his bag, cheeks flush and body nearly trembling, his ears flattened out against his head while his voice produced the lightest whimper of a sound.

They were close.

His head was pounding. Fear spiked through his veins as the crushing presence of a serious predator, one on a hunting path lighted his senses, though it still did not drown out his urges to fulfill his mating bond. Any thought to escape seemed to make his pursuer move faster. It made the other half of his brain cry in protest; the one that wanted him to stay, to roll over and let this strange work of nature operate as intended, whoever he or she may be.  
  
What should he  _do?_

Kuroko was nearly jumping out of his skin as the distinct sound of a body was pressing against the door and the overwhelming scent permeated the room despite said door having yet to open. He'd barely noticed their approach, or more accurately, it was so rapid and he had been so deep in thought he did not have time to notice. A wave of arousal struck him, feeling his legs quake and the instinct to roll over onto his back in submission swept over him.

A breathy sigh, akin to that of another whimper escaped him and he quickly cupped a hand over his mouth to silence anything further. The smell was incredible, his heart thundering in his chest while his body buzzed with an electrical energy. There was that heat between his legs again, the ache pulsing and throbbing and suddenly, the door was pushing open and Kuroko went very, very still.

With eyes wide, Kuroko did not move to meet the gaze of the other that had opened the door, something fierce snarling at him to not move a muscle. The instinct was a ferocious fear, and for a moment, it overlapped all arousal he'd been overwhelmed with. The room was suddenly luminous, the darkness chased away by the fluorescent light switched on and with it broke Kuroko's chain of concentration and curiosity took hold. He looked up and all at once he was met with all the clarity he heard would come when locking eyes with your mate. 

A fox. 

A  _boy_ fox.

Of course.

Everything made sense; the submissiveness, the fear, the fire in his gut, even the ever so slight competitiveness he did not even notice until that very moment. If it were possible, Kuroko would have produced a breathy little laugh or two at the turn of events. He was not so sure what kind of circumstance had yielded such an unexpected result and one, were he of right mind to judge, he would have deemed unfavorable. 

He couldn't imagine anyone wishing to be in a position of conflicting interests such as himself. 

Everything happened quite quickly then, though simultaneously felt incredibly slow. His senses were haywire and every bit of Kuroko wanted to somehow test his capability to resist. Thus far, he could tell he was fighting a losing battle.

He had been clutching his bag so close to himself, the last lifeline to his restraint and the honey-eyed fox was easily peeling it away from him. In that moment, Kuroko was certain he recognized the boy with hair of marigold, his face a familiar one and not by instinct alone. Those eyes of smoldering almond, amber and honey were unforgettable and despite the maelstrom haze smoking through Kuroko's head, he tried to make sense of it and opened his mouth to say something, anything. 

"...I..." 

He couldn't say anything more as plush lips pressed against his and he was melting away to instinct. A momentum had been set and he knew there was no stopping now as their mouths moved together steadily, softly, popping away and that was the last of it. They did not kiss again after the first, and Kuroko was unsure if he was glad for it or not.

Those soft lips were on his neck before he could make sense of it and he was reflexively drawing in a heated huff of air, his silvery ears flattening and a little noise sighing out. He was warm - so incredibly warm, it was getting difficult to breathe; his hands tugging weakly at his uniform shirt. 

He needed it off. He couldn't breathe with that mouth on his throat and clothes against his burning skin.  

The fox was more than eager to help. Fingers attached to much larger hands than his own curled into the bottom hem of his jersey, tugging upward. They were quick and insistent and not shy about feeling the soft, pale skin beneath the fabric before he'd even gotten it up over his head. Not that he could complain. No, rather, the opposite feeling rushed through his body as the touch was electrifying, lighting up every nerve as the pads skimmed over his abdomen and up his chest, beginning to feel with his whole palm while the small, blue-haired bunny was beginning to bow his back softly.   
  
Just having this one hand paying attention to his body was making him crazy, making his chest ache with desire and the space between his legs throb with more intensity. His shirt was off before he realized and where normally such exposure would have left him chilled, he was flushed, panting beneath his fingers,  _burning up_.  
  
How would this even play out? He didn't have personal experience with anything remotely intimate, not to mention little knowledge of what relationships were like with a same sex bond. He'd only been warned of the opposite; some textbook explanation on how to deal with the urges he'd get someday for a 'ready' female.

But here he was, leaning into the open palm of a tall, blond and narrow-eyed fox, tugging at the blue and white tracksuit that still hung around his mate's body. He was able to think little of the implications of such as he wanted nothing more than to strip them down bare and breathe in deep the purest scent of this stranger he could.   
  
Had he the luxury of a clear mind, he would likely be appalled at his behavior. To be doing such with someone he didn't even know the name of, and to be doing it with such impatience and compliance. His neck was assaulted again with those soft lips, this time gaining a little hiccup of sorts from his own mouth while his knees opened fraction, just enough for the larger body before him to slip in closer. Pressing down against him, Kuroko could feel a long breath inhaled against his pulse.   
  
Yes -- this was the kind of closeness his body was seeking out. Despite his skin burning up, despite the feeling of clothing being nigh unbearable, he wanted nothing more than to have that figure pushed up against his own, as if that were the only thing that would quench the flames licking at his muscles. He drew in a deep breath himself, slightly shaky, overwhelmed and dizzy as he got another lungful of the intoxicating aroma, though again, another instinct took hold, one even more surprising, perhaps more unsavory than the others.  
  
His lips curled down, his sneakered foot pressing against the floor beside them and with a small, though surprisingly deep grunt at the back of his throat, he stamped down and tugged hard at the jersey beneath his hands.  
  
This was taking too long. 

He wasn't aware of what came over him, apparently startling the fox as well as auburn black tipped ears were perking and his tail behind him jerked to attention at the rather childish outburst. But Kuroko had been warned of reactions, instincts, sensations and more that could take hold when finding your mate for the first time. The blue eyed bunny was not proud to discover such an impulse of his and was only just managing to keep from repeating it as the golden eyed fox had paused to regard him with slight surprise. He was only dragging it out in doing so, and Kuroko was becoming impatient. 

Luckily for him, the fox only appeared somewhat amused albeit stunned at the display of attitude and was taking it upon himself to do the honor of pulling off his jersey per Kuroko's huffy request. Against Kuroko's better judgment, he was pleased.

He wasn't a thumper. 

Even as a child, Kuroko had never been the kind of rabbit to get frustrated about simple things, nor was he easily frightened and often found the tendency for rabbits and rabbit shifters to stamp their feet as rather rude and disruptive, despite how natural or justifiable the reaction. His grandmother had even told him on one occasion or more that it was quite alright to respond that way if he felt the need to, but Kuroko was almost always able to keep himself composed save for a handful of instances. 

Such was not the case in his current condition as it appeared. He'd not explored the possible reactions he would experience when mating, though he would have never predicted the turnout. 

He was desperate. Fear had kept him teetering back and forth on the overwhelming arousal, but with such a variable entirely removed, or more accurately, no longer an obstacle of that which to fear, it was all Kuroko could do to move as quickly as he could. He was feeling the natural response of his kind, the desperation, the insatiability, the heat.

He was a rabbit after all. 

When the track suit had been unzipped and pulled away, and the jersey underneath hoisted up over his head of blond hair and tossed to the side, Kuroko didn't allot himself the time to admire the cut form of his mate and instead made to sliding himself in and closed his small mouth over the hollow of his throat. He was no alpha, and as his mate certainly was, the spot on his neck would not act the same as his own, but the silver rabbit didn't much care for technicalities. He was working off instinct, and instinct dictated he mark his mate. 

He suckled. Slightly pink lips were popping away, only to press again inches below the possessive little mark to repeat himself. He wasn't sure how many times he did as such before the fox grew impatient himself and, with an abruptness Kuroko could not say he disliked in such a state, the golden eyed shifter slid his hand down between his legs and palmed the small swell beneath his gym shorts.

That threw the pale bunny off kilter effective immediately, taking him entirely by surprise and all concentration was redirected in clinging to keep upright; the fox kneading him through his shorts and adequately outlining his length through the fabric to stroke.  

He clutched at the broad yet lean shoulders of the blond, his throat producing song of sighs and deep little moans as his sneaker stamped once, twice instinctively yet again. The amber eyed shifter took advantage of his position and leaned down to clamp his teeth into the exposed column of Kuroko's throat while he rubbed him through his jersey and all too suddenly, Kuroko was seeing stars and fire was racing between his legs in a rush of white liquid; the silver rabbit quaking as he fastened to the fox fiercely. 

His orgasm had been quick and unexpected, Kuroko's mouth open and panting from the suddenness of it. Without much warning, however, the fox plucked him from his lap and pushed his back to the floor, impatience evident in the molten gold of his eyes. As he tugged the elastic waistband of Kuroko's shorts down his hips, it was obvious the fox was not finished.

Truly, it had only just begun.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Len: Thank you all again for reading our story and I hope you're enjoying it thus far! Yes, finally, you get a little taste of what happened with Kuroko and Kise! I'm sorry it took us a while to update, we've been very busy preparing for conventions for the past month.
> 
> Again, please leave any comments you have, questions, theories, anything! We love feedback of any kind! I hope you enjoyed it and you look forward to the next chapters!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His orgasm had been quick and unexpected, Kuroko's mouth open and panting from the suddenness of it. Without much warning, however, the fox plucked him from his lap and pushed his back to the floor, impatience evident in the molten gold of his eyes. As he tugged the elastic waistband of Kuroko's shorts down his hips, it was obvious the fox was not finished.
> 
> Truly, it had only just begun.

If he were to be honest with himself, he would have to admit that he truly did not notice the little rabbit slip away from the gym and into the equipment hall mid practice. It wasn't exactly uncommon for the blue eyed boy to glide in and out of existence undetected, but surely he should have sensed  _something_  amiss with his absence, especially considering they were scheduled to have quite the exciting practice match not half an hour and counting. 

 But Kagami hadn't detected anything, too focused on his warm up, too preoccupied with the game to have noticed Kuroko's odd behavior. 

 Granted, the rest of the team confessed a similar distraction, no one having even caught scent of anything awry until a flurry of golden eyes and blond hair came barreling into their gymnasium. 

 Even then, it took a near collision with the stranger for the tiger to even truly realize what was going on, having locked eyes with the fox for a split second or more before he was darting off in another direction and down the hall. 

 It hit him like a freight train then, Kagami almost dizzy from its effects as the basketball in hand slipped from his fingers to bounce away across the gym floor. 

 The trail of scent the fox left in his wake had Kagami's ears and tail slipping out and his nose tingling. He hadn't ever been so close to someone going into their first heat before, and had he the foresight, he would have chosen to never experience it at all. His instincts were ringing, a warm and even pleasant buzz coursing through him, accompanied by scents of cinnamon, cider and vanilla. Competitiveness was a packaged deal as an alpha and though it worked incredibly well for sport, it was something he would gladly sacrifice when it came to heats. 

 Shaking his head to establish composure, Kagami dazedly marched his way to his water bottle and emptied it in nearly one gulp. 

 That was when he realized Kuroko was gone and despite the multitude of possibilities, his senses were sharp.  It took not a few seconds and a scan of the gym to deduce just where the rabbit was. 

 A panicked rage rushed him and tossing his empty water bottle to the ground, the tiger was nearly running toward the hallway; instincts aflame with tail and ears alert and at the ready. 

 "Kagami-- Kagami!!" Hyuuga barked at the ace, needing to holler twice for the tiger to stop as he was met with a wild expression of desperation and anger. 

 Hyuuga knew where it was Kagami was headed and quickly reached a hand up to place upon his shoulder; hoping to channel some reason into him. 

 "Leave them." He instructed. 

 That was really all he was going to say?! The tiger's crimson eyes were wide, fingers clenched tightly and striped tail whipping behind him, though he stood in place, as instructed.  
  
"C-captain -- are you serious?! You saw that guy!!" The scent was canine and as all of the shifters in the room were likely aware, whoever the blonde was, he was in full mating mode. Kuroko having gone missing at the same time was no coincidence either, he was sure. "He's a  _fox_  -- You really think letting him after Kuroko like that is  _safe?!_ "  
  
His aversion to mating aside, his best friend's safety was on his mind first and foremost. There had been accidents before with shifters of opposing species. Call it a brother complex or not, but the tall, frantic shifter was biased toward his friend's safety, especially considering his physical build in comparison to that of whoever went flying through after him. And being chased down like a piece of meat, in any sense - Kagami couldn't take that sitting down.  
  
"He's probably hiding for a reason!! We should help-"  
  
"Kagami! Sit your ass on the bench!" This time, the coach was getting involved. Her voice was sharp and her brows were drawn tightly together, not giving an inch as she stared at him from further down the sidelines. He bristled, his temper not something easily controlled as it was, though having his alpha senses tickled certainly didn't help any. The hand on his shoulder tightened and he could feel his captain gulp with just a bit of unease at being in such close quarters with the raging tiger, but he didn't budge either.  
  
He knew he wasn't winning this one, his head whipping back to the hallway, ears flattening and fists tightly balled as he seemed to be contemplating making a break for it. Another order and he eventually let out a roar of frustration instead, turning to drop onto the very end on the bench as he smacked another water bottle away to send it skating into the bleachers. The top of his head was immediately met with the back of a plastic clipboard, causing him to give a startled hiss.   
  
"Don't throw things,  _idiot!!_  Just sit there and be good!" 

 It was the most he'd ever shown of his more animalistic traits before. Honestly, it was unnerving, even for his teammates to see a glimpse of the kind of shifter he was. Even still, as much as he hated letting those characteristics show, his head was filled with fury and concern at the rabbit's current situation. If anything happened to him -- he'd fuck that blond guy up good.

 Not minutes after Kagami had been scolded, a group of boys all adorning the same tracksuit, thus presumably their opponents for the game, were stepping through the gym doors and looking rather pensive and unfocused. It was a mutual feeling both teams exhibited as they came together. 

 What Kagami could only figure was the captain of their team came forward, Riko and Hyuuga stepping up to meet him as he did so. 

 As was the honorable thing to do, he was shaking hands with Hyuuga, though his troubled expression didn't leave him. 

 "Kasamatsu Yukio. Pleasure to meet you. I would say that I'm eager to begin our warm up, but I'm sorry to say, I'm not sure we'll be able to play today."

 At the lack of surprise and a rather even tempered introduction from both Hyuuga and Riko, Kasamatsu appeared puzzled before Riko was speaking up, folding her arms and popping her hip to the side a bit. 

 "Though I'm sad to hear it, we're in a bind as well. One of our start up members is missing." She wisely opted to leave out the details.

 That, however, didn't seem to keep the captain from slowly putting the puzzle pieces together. 

 "That’s odd... Our ace just went running in here. You don't suppose..."

 It was Hyuuga that was finishing, looking rather exasperated albeit amused at the circumstances. 

 "Yeah. What are the odds, right? Feels a bit like fate, though none of us benefit from it." The bespectacled captain huffed as he planted his hands on his hips. Kasamatsu looked almost awed, though he did well to keep face, following his nose to stare in the same direction as the Seirin captain; the scent from the hall quite powerful. 

 With a sigh, Kasamatsu was turning to his members and rallying them to leave the Seirin members to their practice. Riko, however, stepped in to suggest a joint practice, seeing as they had journeyed all the way there. 

 "It'd be a waste to just turn tail and leave. Besides, it would do both of us well to practice without some major players, in light of their absence mid game." 

 Kasamatsu seemed fond of her thinking and the team appeared to agree with such terms. With a nod of approval, Kasamatsu was accepting her proposal. 

 "If you'll have us, we would appreciate the accommodation. I have to wait for that idiot anyway. I won't leave him for you to take care of." He grimaced at the last bit, a character tick that Hyuuga found he related to with a light smirk of agreement. 

 Kagami, all the while, wasn't so agreeable. It took everything within him to keep still and composed. He was listening carefully to the conversation, hearing the captain of the other team address his members as 'Kaijo' which Kagami deduced was the name of their school. Embarrassing as it was, he had attempted to read the kanji on their track suits but got only as far as the first syllable before being unable to read the rest. 

 At least he knew  _something_  about the fox. He was from Kaijo, and the ace of their basketball team. Gritting his teeth, Kagami's fingers laced together and gripped tightly as his leg began to bounce. That combination didn't bode well for Kuroko and only further irked Kagami. 

 Everyone appeared to be taking the situation in stride. The normality they emulated, appearing as though it weren’t as big of a deal as it truly were, Kagami felt ill.

 He nearly jumped when his coach was in front of him before he could even pick up her scent and register.   
  
"Kagami." He could tell he was in for something before she even said it. Her tone just had that kind of ring to it.   
  
"Go and get some sports drinks for everyone." Kagami and Hyuuga were listening fully then, both looking somewhat perplexed, even alarmed in some ways. "The vending machine in the hallway is out. Run to the store on the corner."  
  
It most certainly was  _not_  out. He'd already gotten a drink from it before warm ups. But obviously that wasn't the point. Even before his own protests came in, his captain was sliding in slowly from the left, a tense smile on his face and hesitance written all over him.  
  
"Ah...coach....We're not putting Kagami in? You know we're already down one because of Kuroko....And practice or not, this is Kaijo..." Fierce brown eyes connected with his so quickly he nearly jumped, but he was only met with a soft smirk. 

 "Are you trying to tell me the founders of Seirin can't hold their own anymore without the newbies?" That was all it took. Hyuuga was back to the other end of the bench, barking out what was supposedly some words of encouragement. 'Threats' was more accurate. But Kagami was not satisfied and she knew it would take more explanation for it to breach his level of density and stubbornness.   
  
"We both know there's not a chance in hell you're gonna cool off any if I put you in right away. And frankly, you're useless when you're too heated up. So take a run." Again, he moved to pipe up, wanting to exclaim he wasn't going anywhere with Kuroko held  _captive_  somewhere, but her arm was already extended, pointing commandingly at the door.  
  
"Go run your ass off and then play some damn basketball! Kuroko's not so helpless that he needs a babysitter hovering over him every second!"

 He couldn't argue her, something he'd found out rather immediately. She was an incredible coach with an intuition unrivaled by anyone he had met thus far. 

 She very much reminded him of his teacher he'd had while living in America. 

 He did not like it, but there was no point arguing with her, and if he remained stubbornly seated on the bench, he couldn't guarantee he wouldn't rush the hallway if given the chance. 

 She also had a point. Kuroko most likely would not take kindly to being underestimated. 

 So with a heavy heart, Kagami pushed himself off the bench and gruffly jogged his way to the exit and hence to the vending machine per her orders. 

 It took a bit of time to retrieve all the drinks requested of him and as his coach had predicted, he had cooled his head doing so and was able to join the rather simple practice halfway through. Though it wasn't as official as it was intended to be from the start, Kagami still played as hard as he could and gave the team a run for their money. 

 Kaijo still walked away victorious, but a threat had been instilled in them and an eagerness for rematch had been kindled. They were a good team and Kagami couldn't help feeling somewhat guilty about his mildly malicious feelings toward them initially. 

 Admittedly Kagami was well aware they weren't cause of his best friend’s disappearance and were only vicariously related, but he felt it impossible not to feel they bore some responsibility. 

 It appeared Hyuuga and Izuki picked up on such and had berated him for such naive thinking. Oddly, their scolding did well to cool him down. 

 Izuki was a keen player and in ways reminded him of Kuroko. It was hard to argue with him when he was serious, rare as that was. 

 When the game had finished and players were filing out, Kagami took to the bench once more, wiping himself down as he had worked up quite a sweat. He was startled when a water bottle nearly appeared in his vision as he lowered the towel from his eyes. 

 Peering up, he expected to see one of his own teammates, though was even more stunned to lock eyes with the captain of Kaijo. 

 He was staring long enough to make the steel eyed point guard scowl and gesture to the container with a bit more firmness; Kagami taking the hint and quickly plucking it from him with an abashed 'thank you'. 

 As he guzzled the liquid, not even having realize how parched he was, Kasamatsu took a seat beside him. 

 "Your captain figured you would forget to hydrate." As it appeared, he and Hyuuga had already talked with one another. 

 About what was fairly obvious. Or rather the part of their conversation where he came into play. Having the captain come speak with him directly, even if it was out of formality, helped to make their opponents seem a little more human. Kagami cast him a small side glance, having to look down slightly with the height difference, but that was normal of most people he sat next too. Kiyoshi-senpai was the only example otherwise that sprang to mind. Despite that, he could still feel a sense of authority emanating from the captain, be it shifter hierarchy or not.   
  
Either way, he made sure to watch his language, struggling slightly through a politer form of Japanese.   
  
"Ah...about your ace...um...sir." Too much?  
  
The look he got in response came with a wrinkled nose and a look of perplexed skepticism. He probably thought he was being sarcastic, though after getting a look at Kagami's expression, the captain let out a soft sigh and took up the conversation the tiger shifter had immediately initiated.   
  
"I heard your friend is the one that got tangled up in what ever happened to Kise. I'm sorry for any alarm he's caused, especially at a different school."

 It was nice to hear, but not exactly the information the redhead had been fishing for. His back straightened and hand lifted.  
  
"Er...it's not your fault. I know you guys can't really control it-"  _You can't help your ace not being able to keep it in his pants_. That's what he would have liked to say, still feeling particularly salty about the whole unresolved situation, but he knew that was a bit cruel. As much as he wanted to claim they were more than just a collection of animal instincts, he had no right to impose it on others. "I was kinda just....I was wondering more about that guy....uh...Kise." There was a small pause. "Please."

 He wanted to hear something along the lines of 'he'd never hurt a fly', but somehow, he had a gut feeling that wouldn't be the type of response he'd get. 

 With a slight scoff, Kasamatsu was stepping back a bit to stretch his muscles, not appearing worried, but not exactly reassuring with the expression he wore. 

 "We have some time. Let's cool down a bit first." 

 That left a somewhat sour taste in his mouth, Kagami feeling as though the captain was prolonging the confession of Kise's bad character. He was reluctant to drop the subject so quickly, but if he'd learned anything, it was that a little patience went a long way. At least, he'd like to tell himself that, but he was more wary of the reaction he'd get were he to oppose the captain of Kaijo.

 Hyuuga and Riko had tempers bad enough and Kagami had gotten a glimpse of Kasamatsu's fire. He and Hyuuga seemed very much alike and despite the tiger's status as alpha, he wasn't so disrespectful as to test his status of power.

 They seated themselves on the gym floor, Kasamatsu falling into a loose stretch and Kagami following his lead, not exactly hiding the manner in which he continuously side eyed the captain. Despite his vigilant watch, when Kasamatsu finally spoke, Kagami's tail was bristling as he'd been slightly startled. His nerves were on edge, after all.

 He’d forgotten his ears and tail had been out all this time.

 "If you're worried about your friend, don't be." 

 Kagami quickly sat upright, all his attention diverted to the captain, though he did not spare much of a look and continued to stretching.

 "Kise can be a handful at times, but he's ultimately an honest guy. Plus, there's nothing we can do otherwise, so worrying won't help."  

 Right or not, he still didn't like that answer. Simply being told not to worry wasn't going to stop him from doing so, pointless as it were. But this dark-haired senior was his only lead to knowing at least a little more about whoever had gone after his best friend. It was at least...slightly comforting that his captain wasn't panicked. As long as there was no history of violence or like things, that was better than nothing.   
  
But it had already been such a long time and Kagami couldn't help the way his tail was beginning to flick and swish nervously again. He'd even accidentally whacked one of his own teammates with it mid-play before getting another tongue lashing from his coach.   
  
Dammit, he wanted these annoyances to go away. With that in mind, one hand slid back, taking hold of the long, jerky tail as he raised his hips and forcefully shoved it beneath his leg, pinning it successfully. If he couldn't retract it, he rather hide it, uncomfortably as it was against the hard, wooden gymnasium floor.  
  
He could feel the captain finally giving him a bit of side eye back but he didn't engage. Instead he began fishing for more answers.  
  
"Do you -- know how long this usually lasts? Have you seen it before?" He seemed as if he might be close with the blond ace, though then again, he could just be a principally responsible captain. Both seemed equally plausible.

 Whether or not Kasamatsu understood what Kagami was doing, he gave no indication. He was quite composed for someone as potentially explosive as Hyuuga. He pulled his muscled arm over his head, stretching his triceps with eyes closed. 

 "Only once. From what I understand, it depends on the kind of shifter for what kind of interaction they'll have and how long." His arm dropped and he was shaking it out a bit before pulling the next one into a stretch. 

"Kise is a fox, so I can't imagine his heat would last terribly long." He was casting steel eyes in Kagami's direction, making Kagami's tail twitch beneath his leg and ears flick forward. He really commanded attention. 

"What kind of shifter is your friend?" 

The reminder that this guy was indeed a fox gave him another anxious clenching in his gut. The grimace that played out over his face exposed his feelings clearly.  
  
"A rabbit..." The grumble almost sounded pained, as if the information itself was going to change the captain's tune about his friend. If his heat wasn't supposed to last this long, then why did it seem to be taking forever? Unless he was _snacking_  instead.  
  
He felt the back of his throat closing on an impatient growl as his eyes instinctually flicked toward the hallway again.  
  
"I can't imagine playing well with 'prey' when people go into these crazy - hormonal rampages. That's why I thought we should have gone after them. Kuroko is tough, but it's just common sense that he wouldn't last against a guy twice as big-"

Kasamatsu's thick brows raised a bit at Kagami's information before he was tapping a finger against his chin. 

"A boy bunny, huh?" For a moment it looked as though Kasamatsu was hiding the faintest curl to his lip and swallowed a snort of amusement, but it was hidden so well, it might as well not have happened at all. 

"Well it's certainly odd but not unheard of. We're human too, you know; Kise may be an idiot but he wouldn't hurt someone. Plus..." It appeared as though he was trying to find the proper words, looking somewhat troubled and ever so slightly flustered before simply coming out with it. 

"Rabbits have...  _intense_  heats. My guess is if their heat lasts longer than a fox's average, then it's not Kise who is prolonging it." He explained as professionally as he could, pushing himself up to stand. 

Making his way over, he held his hand out for Kagami to take, obviously one for good sportsmanship and not keen on letting the tiger idle on the idea and working himself up. 

"Kagami, was it? You're an incredible player." Even despite their lack of familiarity, it was obviously high praise from the tightly wound captain. 

"I'll be back momentarily. If they happen to come out, tell Kise I'm waiting for him." He was jogging off toward the doors, stepping outside and leaving Kagami to his solitude for an indefinite amount of time. 

"Ah-" he opened his mouth, raising his hand slightly, though the would-be protest died in his mouth almost immediately, trailing into a 'sure thing...' as he wasn't given much of an option. Was it really a good idea to leave him as the door guard? he couldn't guarantee, after seeing the kind of results of their  _interaction_ , that he'd be able to stay cool-headed.  
  
If Kuroko was roughed up in  _any_ way-  
  
He bit down hard again, instinctually walking to find a basketball he could absentmindedly dribble, despite having just cooled down, though he was intercepted by a mop instead.

Right, they still had cleaning duty, technically.

Things had been pushed off a bit due to the situation at hand, though his coach was quick to remind him that if he had time to be playing basketball more, he had time to be mopping or wiping down balls.   
  
He took the offer of sitting back at the end of the bench to wait for the two that would hopefully be returning through the hall, though his legs had taken to impatiently bouncing once again.   
  
"Geez... can't say I've ever seen Kagami so on edge before, not even during a game." Hyuuga was speaking softly to the coach, having been debriefing with her after all her instructions were given out and the team was wrapping up individually. "Scary as he is like this, he's a good friend to have on your side, I guess."  
  
With a small puff of air laced with faint amounts of exasperation, Riko was finally allowing her shoulders drop into a softer stance.   
  
"So long as he doesn't go sticking his nose too much into their business. He means well, but an idiot is an idiot. Without Kuroko-kun to keep him in line, he'll let his temper go off without him." Her neck extended to the side, attempting to release the cramping muscles at the base of her neck.

These boys were a hand full. Especially her new ace.

"The real blessing is that they've known each other for a long time. I'm sure Kuroko-kun won't be afraid to give him what for if he gets too over-zealous with the big-brother act."

Hyuuga watched Riko a moment, trained on her before he was giving a nod and letting out a small sigh as he began to roll his shoulder as well. He'd shot as many three pointers as he could in that practice match and he felt it wasn't nearly enough as it should be. 

"I'm still surprised Kaijo's captain offered to talk to him a bit. But he had the same idea I did. Kagami can get wound up too tightly. He probably couldn't allow himself to snap at a stranger and definitely not the captain of another team..." He mused aloud. 

"Wound up tight like a tiger, right?" Izuki didn't miss a beat, having been eavesdropping momentarily, though the deadly eye Hyuuga tossed him over his shoulder had the narrow eyed point guard skittering off; snagging a mop from an unsuspecting Furihata to feign being preoccupied with duties and thus too important to reprimand. 

Furihata, caught in the crossfire, nearly tripped over himself as he met Hyuuga’s indirect glower and made off to busy himself with any task that would spare him further strife.

With another weary exhalation, Hyuuga turned his attention back to his coach beside him. 

"You think it will be over soon...? I don't know if Kagami has the patience to wait much longer." He observed with a somewhat worried expression.  With a sigh and another pop of her hip, Riko responded.

"He's going to have to. It isn't his call." That was when the gym doors were opening and Kasamatsu was stepping back through them. They regarded one another respectfully before his attention was quite suddenly diverted. His eyes were directed toward the hallway and as though he had predicted it, not a few seconds later, a couple figures could be spotted against the shadows, making their way toward the entrance of the gym. 

He was walking over swiftly, though even at that, Kagami was far quicker than he; already bounding across the wooden floors and closing in on the hallway entrance.

The scene was very quickly playing out in a way it seemed only a few people had been prepared for. As Kagami closed the gap between himself and the hall entrance at such a hurried pace, one of the figures standing within it came to a stiff attention, despite both of them having been moving quite slow, exhaustion evident in their posture.   
  
An alpha's presence, and especially such a riled up one at that, was clearly the last thing wanted. Both the tiger and fox seemed to be hit with the same sense at the same time, though naturally, in his position, the blond was reacting more dynamically to the potential threat. The dizzy rabbit in his arms was pulled in closer, body hunkering down and ears folding back as a snarl ripped from the fox shifter's chest, stopping the tiger dead in his tracks with wide eyes and a hand clapped over his nose.   
  
But a threat was a threat and it couldn't be ignored.   
  
" _Kagami_!" Again, it was Hyuuga who barked out first, a rush of panic washing over his expression as everything was happening in a second's time.   
  
The tiger shifter had only paused for a moment, staggered by the scent that came off the two of them. But one good look at his exhausted friend held hostage in the stranger's hostile grasp and he had hunched forward, ears back, tail pointing sharply down while the fur stood up slightly. His lip curled back to show his teeth while a guttural growl, even more fierce than the sound the fox produced, cut through the air of the gymnasium. 

The unnerving tension that seared the air was so thick, one could choke. The blond, despite his disadvantage, did not back down and clutched the petite body of his mate closer which, in turn, only further fueled the flames that burned the tiger shifter's ferocity.  

The fox was nearly snapping his jaws as Kagami took a step forward, the silver rabbit in his arms stirring from the commotion, still lost in a daze and nigh oblivious to the clashing alphas right before him. 

Undoubtedly there would have been a confrontation, though whether it be a bloody one or not remained, fortunately, unknown as they were abruptly interrupted by a firm strike against the back of Kise's head by none other than his captain. 

Momentarily stunned, the fox was lurching forward from the assault before immediately whipping around to bare teeth at his assailant before immediately identifying the scent and just as immediately, retracting all animosity and substituting it for surprise. 

"K...Kasamatsu-senpai..." He addressed after a moment, the dark haired point guard looking rather unimpressed though managed his patience all the same. 

"Idiot. Are you a mindless animal? Take a second and catch your breath." He ordered, presumably not an alpha himself but holding enough air of authority it didn't seem to matter. 

Kise hesitated and Kagami was still poised to strike. Kasamatsu, however, was sending a far less patient look to his junior, looking ready to latch a collar on him and drag him off if need be. 

" _Kise."_ Hehissed, his voice a warning as the fox flinched, though seemingly not in fear. He peered at the tiger from the corner of his eye, something that rubbed Kagami entirely the wrong way but before he could do much of anything in response, a heavy hand was plopping down upon his head and almost immediately the tension was dissolving as a tall and particularly jovial looking individual took to ruffling Kagami's hair as though he were oblivious of the state of affairs. 

"Now, now, Kagami, no need to be aggressive with guests~ Kuroko is just tuckered out, as is to be expected." His smile was a contagion in its own way, reigning in the unpredictability of the two rather wild looking alphas. He grinned a bit, cocking his head as he caught Kagami's scarlet gaze with warm almond, the tiger immediately defused and feeling rather silly as his senpai had made light of an otherwise disastrous situation. 

"Mm..." Kagami murmured, looking off to the side abashedly with ears folded back and a faint redness to the corners of his cheeks. 

The almond eyed stranger was laughing a bit before turning his attention to Kasamatsu and Kise, nodding his head politely. 

"Kyoshi Teppei; I wasn't allowed to play per coaches orders but I saw the last bits of it. You have an incredible team~" he regarded Kasamatsu as he said as much, extended his hand which Kasamatsu took without hesitation. 

"Thank you." He gave a professional nod before dropping his arm. 

The member now identified as Kyoshi was casting his friendly gaze to Kise then, regarding the ace with a look of empathy and understanding.

"I wasn't here before the game but I understand the situation. It would be best to allow Kuroko the time to rest in the care of his family and friends. The same could be said for you, I think." His voice was deep and gentle, allowing little room for argument as he evoked little else but a kind of calm clarity.

The blond's brows lifted, though probably not for the expected reasons as the confrontation cooled so quickly.   
  
_Kuroko_.  
  
He actually hadn't heard his mate's name yet. He hadn't had a chance yet due to...well, obvious reasons. He wanted to ask the rest of his name, but now certainly didn't seem to be the time. There was too much of a daze over his senses; he was tired and his nose felt almost raw from the barrage of powerful scents he'd been hammered with over just the past hour.   
  
His head wasn't on straight and he knew it.   
  
"A-ah..." He agreed softly with the stranger, though to be honest, it was more due to the steely look he was still receiving from his captain as he slowly stood upright, feeling his mate's weight shift in his hold.  
  
"Kuroko-" It was the tiger again, his ears up and now tilted forward, eyes on the rabbit and brows cinched together in concern. He'd taken another step forward, hand out as bleary blue eyes caught his. Despite the lack of hostility this time, Kise couldn't help the small rumbling growl in his throat, watching the large predatory shifter closely, body language outright rejecting the approach. Again, Kagami reacted with a small hiss of his own and folded back ears, but an arm in-between them, gently grasping the exhausted boy instead stopped another rising conflict.   
  
"I'll take Kuroko - " It was Kiyoshi again, making full eye contact with the fox, movements slow. Weight shifted from Kise’s arms while he heard his captain give another low, deep warning, though his instincts to snap back were much less fierce with the brown haired stranger plucking up his mate instead. "It's easy to be tense in a situation like this, but you're both just concerned for his safety. No need to fight each other over the same thing, right?"   
  
Again, he was right. Again, the tension settled, though the red head standing behind his senior couldn't help but shoot an irritated look to the fox before stepping back, eager to get out of there and tend to the silver rabbit.

But that wasn't the only reason he had to step back. The fox could probably smell it too.  
  
His back turned as he could hear voices continuing behind him. The Kaijo captain and Kiyoshi were seemingly wrapping up loose ends as the mated pair were eased apart and both sides consoled in their own way. But Kagami was losing track of what they were saying, letting out a somewhat shaky puff of breath while he lifted the collar of his shirt up, over his nose.  
  
_Fuck -- You've got to be fucking kidding me_ \--  
  
He couldn't brush this off, after all. As much as he suppressed that side of himself daily, as much as he worked on mind over matter, he was reacting to the scent on Kuroko. His best-fucking-friend of all people and he was getting goddamned  _mating_  instincts. Maybe they weren't even directly linked to mating and rather just an assertion of his alpha status, but it was too close for comfort. Granted they weren't strong enough to be even close to a first heat, thank the _gods_ , but he was disgusted with himself either way.  
  
Kuroko was going through all of this and right now the only thing his instincts cared about were fighting and fucking.  
  
Those were the only things it was ever good for.  
  
But his pride hurt too much to want to leave it to their 'human' friends. 

It did take another stern look and bark from his captain for Kise to relinquish his hold on Kuroko, the rabbit still exhausted and almost unresponsive. Kyoshi was gentle as he took the boy, quite careful not to breathe too much of his scent in as he cradled him upon parting ways with his new found mate.

Luckily, Kise did not linger too long after letting the silver rabbit go, ushered by Kasamatsu to leave rather quickly and giving his adieu to Hyuuga and Riko as politely as he could manage. As it were, Kyoshi was making his way over to the tiger shifter and presented the small boy to the redhead; the shadow looking far smaller than usual in his particularly fatigued state.

"Don't be too hard on yourself. Kuroko's heat isn't technically over so it's only natural you'd be somewhat affected. I knew you wanted to take care of him, but that was rather hasty of you, stepping right up to his mate after they mated for the first time." Kyoshi chuckled at that, obviously finding no need to scold him for it or express concern. Kagami was well aware of that all on his own, and the tall center was particularly good at making good memories out of potential bad ones.

Whether or not Kagami could remember ever really discussing with Kyoshi his distaste toward his uncontrollable instincts, he couldn't recall. His senpai had a knack for intuition and often spoke as though they'd laid their heart out to him from the get go. It was unnerving at times, yet one couldn't help but find a friend in the man.

"Ah...are you sure I could take Kuroko now...?" Kagami spoke through the fabric of his shirt, still fitfully covering his nose as the scent of his friend was rather powerful even still. Kyoshi simply raised a brow, head cocking as he felt it obvious from the get go.

"Would you rather I take care of him?" Though it was a suggestion of sorts, it was quite clear that Kyoshi knew the answer to it, and as Kagami was quickly coming forward to gather his friend gingerly onto his back to carry, such an answer had been solidified.

Kuroko made little remark as he was transferred, grunting slightly in the back of his throat, but sagging against Kagami's back as he was properly situated. He was fluttering in and out of consciousness from the looks of it, fatigued and unable to distinguish left from right as he was riding out the last waves of his heat.

The scent was really powerful with Kuroko pressed so close; it made him lightheaded in the same way putting your face over a newly opened can of paint did. There was a moment of unease, though closing his eyes for a moment, he drew up the willpower to overcome it. He wasn't going to let this impede help for his friend.

He wasn't going to be a useless, mindless animal.   
  
A heavy breath puffed out from beneath his shirt, eyes shifting up to his senpai as he gave a look to express genuine gratitude. Things probably would have gone badly if it weren't for the support of the older members of his team. He owed them a lot for this, as did Kuroko.   
  
"I'll take him home and get him cleaned up. I've got plenty of space for him to stay so don't worry." They didn't hesitate with their approval, lifting a weight off his chest he hadn't realized was there. They had confidence he could handle this. Now he just had to make sure he followed it up with action.   
  
"Take care, you two. I'll be texting later just to check in, so keep your phone on you." The coach was stern, but sincere. Kagami had to admit, as much as she got on his ass about his attitude and his lack of academic prowess, he'd grown to really respect and admire her leadership, even with only a short amount of time with the team under his belt. They were all good people.   
  
With another short exchange of appreciation and the delivery of their sports bags to Kagami's shoulder, he left hurriedly out the side door with the limp Kuroko on his back and shirt over his face. It would have appeared to have been some sort of prank to anyone unaware of the situation. To ensure that wouldn't happen as much as he could help, the tall ace took as many backroads home as possible - without getting lost himself, of course. It still hadn't been terribly long since he moved from LA and to his slight shame, he hadn't explored much outside of food joints and basketball courts. He didn't spend a lot of free time with other people aside from street court practice with Kuroko or practice with the team. 

It was probably just a case of good luck that he managed to make it back to his place with minimal confrontation. Not that he'd really stopped to make conversation with the few people that addressed the odd setup.   
  
_Damn_. His ears and tail wouldn't go back. Kuroko's scent was bearable outside, but he knew once he got in the closed quarters of his house, he'd have to be more careful. He'd open the balcony door, probably get Kuroko into a bath as fast as he could draw one. Long legs bounding up the stairs, he fumbled for his keys once presented with the obstacle of his locked front door, cussing softly as he had to dig for them.   
  
"S-sorry, Kuroko. I don't know where you live - I figured you wouldn't mind coming to my place to clean up. It's the best I could do-"

The blue eyed boy did not respond, remaining still on his back with breathing steady and even. It took a deep breath and a steady exhale for Kagami to get his keys and unlock his apartment, quickly stepping inside before any of his neighbors would happen upon them. 

He was still a new face around his neighborhood and the last thing he wanted to add to his already intimidating visage was the image of a creep. 

He hastily delivered Kuroko to the couch before skittering over to balcony and fumbling with the locks, hushed profanities on his lips as his fingers slipped over them before finally clicking them open and sliding the doors ajar; exclaiming a soft victory under his breath before quickly shuffling down the hall to draw a bath. 

He missed the nearly undetected smile of amusement Kuroko sported as he dazedly observed his friend scurry about his apartment. 

He was being lifted in no time and carried gingerly to the bathroom, the scent of hot water and soap wafting along the walls and coiling with the steam that billowed out of the room in plumes of puffy vapor. 

"I'm sorry, Kuroko-- I'll be quick." Kagami's voice wasn't wavering as much as before, though he was arguably as focused as he could be and had purposefully permeated the room with alternative scents to shroud the residual odor of Kuroko's lingering heat. 

Kuroko mustered a nod and did his best to arrange his body as cooperatively as possible while Kagami pulled his clothing off steadily.

 He was hoisted and gently settled into the bath, Kagami careful not to drop him in. Though as he pulled his arms away, Kuroko was slowly sinking beneath the surface, Kagami panicking as he quickly cupped his hands under Kuroko's arms to pull him back above the water. The tub was far larger than normal and Kuroko was not the largest of boys. It was a bit of an effort to keep Kuroko buoyant while Kagami fished for the plug to drain some water, but he managed. 

It felt like he'd run a marathon by the time everything had been properly arranged, the tiger sagging against the edge of the bathtub while Kuroko soaked at a comfortable water level. 

It nearly startled the shifter into a frenzy when Kuroko finally spoke; his tail fluffing and ears perking at the tender voice. 

"Thank you, Kagami-kun..."

Scarlet eyes lifted, as did the uniquely shaped brows that sat above them as Kuroko had finally spoken up, leaving Kagami to slowly respire as he rested against the tub's edge.   
  
"Ah....don't mention it." Obviously thanks were not necessary. It was completely natural to want to help at such a pivotal and ground shaking point in his life. But on Kuroko's end...Kagami wasn't so sure this drastic change had been something he necessarily invited.   
  
He hadn't expected his blue-haired friend to ever be on the ...'receiving' end of mating instincts. Honestly...it put his thoughts in a negative place.   
  
Could Kuroko have even stopped it if he wanted?  
  
His skin was crawling at the idea of any amount of it being forced. It put into perspective how a lot of females must have felt; being hunted down like that.   
  
He was ashamed to admit it hit home a lot harder when it was his own best friend experiencing it.   
  
"....You're covered in bruises..."  
  
His tone was low, eyes only tracing the marks that were visible. He'd tried to keep his eyes averted from the more private areas of Kuroko's body as he'd helped him undress, but he'd seen enough to know they hadn't been spared the marks either. There were even marks from rows of teeth on the back of his neck.

Kuroko was only ghosting his eyes over himself then, not even bothering to lift his limbs above the surface to inspect before humming inquisitively. 

"I didn't notice." He answered honestly, still taking in his surroundings as though he'd just woken up from a dream. After a moment, he turned his gaze back to Kagami, watching before tilting his chin downward ever so slightly. 

"Kagami-kun, you're staring." He informed, hoping to possibly get more of a rise out of his friend. He did not, however, Kagami's expression only becoming a bit more grim as he lifted his gaze to Kuroko's. 

Kuroko opted for changing the subject, too weary to handle heavy talk. 

"...Where is Kise-kun...?" 

Frankly, Kagami hoped far away.  
  
"Probably headed back home with his team."  The words came with a soft puff of air and a flick to the end of his long tail. He tried to keep the hostility out of his tone, but it didn't stop the prickling feeling under his skin when he thought about the fox and how he'd been challenged with gnashing teeth and vicious growls over the possession of his friend.  
  
He was still put out by it all and a soft pout on his face relayed that exact feeling.   
  
"His captain dragged him off once we got him peeled off you. They probably have the same idea about cleaning him up at home." Speaking neutrally was hard, but he did it for Kuroko's sake. To be fair, he knew nothing of the fox. He had so many questions, questions that could very well determine whether he was going to personally hunt this guy down or not, but it still seemed too soon to be asking. The rabbit was clearly dazed, probably sleepy and hungry. He'd tend to all of that and any physical injury on top of it before worrying about the personal details. It was ultimately Kuroko's call what he shared.  
  
"...Are you hurt anywhere?" 

Kuroko could read him like a book.

Despite Kuroko's relatively modest behavior and politeness, he had a tendency to be quick witted and rather sassy if one took the time to really listen to him. As it were, few often did and most of his spunk went unnoticed. Kuroko much preferred it that way; much like a secret among close friends. Kagami was one of the few who took notice, though he was arguably the one most exposed to it. 

He was offering a rather slight smile, his expression trying as a silver ear flicked.

"Plenty." He stated matter-of-fact, Kagami notably stiffening, looking like a trap ready to spring. Kuroko simply settled himself deeper into the water, letting his eyes fall closed. 

"But nothing unexpected." As quickly as Kuroko had ruffled Kagami's feathers, he was quelling the flames all the same, leaving Kagami in an awkward state as he had the energy to riot yet no cause to. 

Grumbling, Kagami murmured something under his breath though Kuroko didn't venture to find out what. 

He had quite a good friend. 

"I appreciate your concern, Kagami-kun... But could I bathe in private?" His expression and tone of voice were steady and did not yield any emotion, coming across as his usual, even-tempered self which contrasted so heavily with Kagami's explosive nature, it was a wonder they worked as well as they did together. 

Cheeks colored slightly, Kagami was quick to his feet, his tail dangling and still twitching by his ankles with ears directed forward after momentarily folding back in embarrassment. It was a rare sight to see his shifter traits used so much in one sitting. Surely once he could manage it, Kagami would hide them away again.  
  
"Ah - Yeah, 'course-" He back stepped, head turning to the side with one hand on the bathroom door. Ugh...he needed to wash and change his shirt as soon as he got a minute. The scent still had a way of striking him when he'd get a nose full of it while off guard.   
  
"I'll cook something so you can come out when you're ready. I'll bring your bag in too so you can grab your clothes." Knowing Kuroko, he always had a neatly folded, clean set handy just in case.   
  
"You have any allergies? Like with food?" To be fair, they still didn't know a terrible amount about each other, something that made him feel a bit abashed as he considered him certainly one of his closest friends, if not the closest; apart from his brother. 

Kuroko was lightly shaking his head, watching as Kagami made his way to the door. 

"No allergies. Just nothing too spicy. And please no carbonated drinks." His voice sounded as soft as ever, though did not waver or give any indication of weakness. Kagami was nodding then, counting the two facts on his fingers as he repeated them. 

"Alright - easy spice, no carbonation. Got it." He was stepping out, a new goal to focus on as he tugged off his shirt moments after closing the bathroom door and missed another little smile from the shadow boy. 

As the door was shut, however, and Kuroko was left in solitude, his expression was dropping and his eyes faced forward; watching the distorted reflection of the water's surface in silence.

Kagami certainly was a good friend. But things were undoubtedly going to change. 

He knew Kagami was eager to hear of his experience, though regardless of his ignorance, he had already formed a poor opinion of his mate. Kuroko had not expected much of a different reaction, considering the redhead's violent distaste toward the whole ordeal itself, though he had hoped for something a bit more agreeable.

Then again, Kuroko never imagined the possibility himself. It had been a whirlwind, and everything was over with so much quicker than he thought possible. 

 Cupping a bit of water in his hands, he watched the way the light reflected along the surface and scattered into glowing beads as he blew ripples along the glassy edge. 

So he was mated now. 

His vision blurred, the corners of his cheeks feeling hot while his eyes began to sting. With a breath, Kuroko was quickly submerging himself beneath the surface, cheeks puffed out and eyes clamped shut so no tears could escape. 

His heart ached. 

-

"Gugh...You reek."   
  
With the distance between himself and the rest of the passengers currently casting him sidelong glances on the train, Kise couldn't exactly argue with his captain's comment as the smaller, albeit older of the two plugged his nose with a heavy scowl. They were traveling apart from the rest of the team; probably a wise decision as it was already uncomfortable enough having to involve someone else he knew in this.   
  
But despite the uncomfortable circumstance they'd both been thrust in, he was grateful for the support.   
  
"It's not like I can help it..." He mumbled softly under a layer of cloth. He'd been wrapped up in whatever clothing was at their disposal, even sprayed with a little cologne to try to keep the scent manageable while they were in public, but it was more or less like dipping a daisy in paint and calling it a rose. Not to mention he felt he was gathering even more attention, what with being wrapped in three layers of clothing on a rather fair-climate train ride.  
  
"When we get back, you're gonna go to gym to shower. I've got the keys and you're going to make it damn quick."   
  
Gold eyes flicked to the side, trying to catch the gaze of the black-haired boy beside him, but it appeared he was doing his best not to make eye contact with him, or look like he was associated in any way.   
  
"You're not just dropping me off at home?"

Kasamatsu was finally sparing a look at the fox with goldenrod hair, incredulous and unsympathetic as it was. He was quick to break eye contact soon after, speaking as he looked elsewhere. 

"You think your family wants to deal with you smelling like that? I'd rather not be connected to it myself." Kasamatsu wouldn't make bones about who he was looking out for, but he wasn't the most eloquent of people either. He often took his teammates under his wing but would disguise it otherwise. 

"You told me you have two elder sisters. You would probably become their next gossip topic and a voodoo doll for information." It was a surprising amount of detail he had retained about Kise's life despite their relative standing as acquaintances. 

Kise wasn't certain how grateful he should feel toward his captain’s diligence or if he should feel guilty instead. He chose to remain indifferent, and Kasamatsu didn't express any distaste toward it. 

The train ride was long, and much of it was left in silence; something Kasamatsu had not associated with the blond, though he'd yet to know any better. He had his senses, however, and chanced another look at his ace. 

His expression did not settle well with the Kaijo captain, his thick brows furrowing and grip on his bag tightening. 

" _That's_  a sour expression..." He remarked, not exactly scolding, nor entirely inquisitive. 

Honestly, Kise looked almost disgusted. 

Again, golden eyes flicked briefly to the side, catching the gaze that was cast to him, though he looked away shortly after, seemingly processing and deliberating whether or not she should answer.  
  
"Well...yeah. I mean...wouldn't you be?" The prickly captain raised a brow once more, getting the feeling he wasn't referring to the immediate situation at hand, that being the sorry state he was currently facing.   
  
"About what?" 

"Isn't it obvious?" The impatient look Kise received in return left him feeling exasperated, but he caved all the same. He didn't have much energy to bicker, not that it would get him anywhere with the impossibly head-strong guy. "My mate... That's the person I'm supposed to spend the rest of my life with." His breath puffed out below the layer of a thick scarf, voice muffled by it.

"When I thought about what they might be like if I ever met them...Well....this hardly lives up to expectations..."

Kasamatsu wouldn't deny he had muffled a snicker before at the rather ironic turn of events for the fox, but it was difficult to muster humor in such a position. 

He didn't expect that kind of confession. As he understood, mates bonded in a very specific way, unlike any other; a way which united them together inexplicably so. He hadn't really heard of mates disliking one another, especially after such an explosive heat as the one Kise had experienced and the possessiveness he’d portrayed.

He sniffed, shifting the bag on his shoulder as he adjusted his grip on the straps hanging from above. 

"Did you really have someone specific in mind? That's not exactly how these things work." The captain did well to not feed into Kise's aversion, though even so, Kise was not abated. 

His eyes were far off and his mouth almost curled in a lethargic scowl. His ears weren't focused on any sound in particular, tail motionless behind him. 

"Still..." 

The reflection of the passing carts could be traced in Kise's honey gaze, speckled with color and light as people filtered in and around them in a sea of activity. 

“You have blood on your nose.”

Kasamatsu had only just noticed the dark, dried ring of it rimming the shadow of Kise’s nostril. His remark was flat, but something unsettling had stirred a muted need to divert the topic elsewhere, yet it only just occurred to the captain with a ripple of unease that perhaps they were related; that they were one in the same.

And Kise didn’t respond. He made no indication he had even heard the remark, did not move to inspect the blood on his nose and gazed with glassy, apathetic eyes out into the expanse blurred with motion and people; eyes that were unable to fully swallow the spark of contempt. 

For once, Kise seemed to blend into the mundane background, and Kasamatsu was at a loss for words. 

"This sucks." The fox whispered and Kasamatsu did the favor of pretending not to hear it. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Len: Hey everyone! Thank you again for picking up our story and I hope you're enjoying the progression! I apologize for the delay in this chapter, as it stands, B.C and I are going to be doing some brainstorming and rethinking the progression of this story. We're a bit rocky with its development and have been unable to really hammer down a set path we like yet. We have about one to two more chapters still backed up, but updates will be a bit slow. Thank you for your patience!
> 
> Please leave comments and other forms of feedback, we love hearing what you have to say!!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“You have blood on your nose.”_
> 
>  
> 
> _Kasamatsu had only just noticed the dark, dried ring of it rimming the shadow of Kise’s nostril. His remark was flat, but something unsettling had stirred a muted need to divert the topic elsewhere, yet it only just occurred to the captain with a ripple of unease that perhaps they were related; that they were one in the same._
> 
>  
> 
> _And Kise didn’t respond. He made no indication he had even heard the remark, did not move to inspect the blood on his nose and gazed with glassy, apathetic eyes out into the expanse blurred with motion and people; eyes that were unable to fully swallow the spark of contempt._
> 
>  
> 
> _For once, Kise seemed to blend into the mundane background, and Kasamatsu was at a loss for words._
> 
>  
> 
> _"This sucks." The fox whispered and Kasamatsu did the favor of pretending not to hear it._

"Hnnn....Expensive...." The growling of his stomach had directed Aomine's feet from the aimless path he'd been walking to some of the ramen bars and other quick-fix eateries scattered along the way, just outside the colossal mall he'd just been wandering through. Sure...he should have been at practice, but he had a stronger urge to go check out a new attraction he'd seen advertised on a flier the day before. The mall was having a new girl's idol group perform for free.  
  
He'd skimped on the details of what time, however. Now it was just a matter of killing time wandering around until they finally set up. It was...today, right?  
  
He sighed, giving the outdoor menu one last half-hearted once over before puffing out a breath and continuing on, scuffing his sneakers against the brick sidewalk. He didn't really feel like noodles, anyway.  
  
Despite his lazy demeanor, something had tickled his senses, though he hadn't paid it much mind until now. He had noticed someone over his shoulder when he had been hanging around the front of the shoe store, then again when browsing a magazine rack. In fact, he had brushed it off as mere coincidence until he noticed them once again just as he left the ramen storefront. He actually picked up on their scent, more out of habit than any real caution. But...were they really following him?   
  
He hadn't bought anything in any of the stores, were they worried he stole something? His sleek tail twitched in irritation, navy eyes finally shooting a look to the middle-aged woman following him. Apparently, she took that as invitation to approach, looking almost embarrassed as she stepped across the street.   
  
Good, he could get this over with.  
  
"Ah....I'm really sorry - I didn't mean to make you nervous." She started out, her demeanor actually relaxing the tall high schooler somewhat as he had expected some sort of hostility at first. This was a pleasant surprise. She actually wasn't as old as she first looked either. Her outfit was just sorta.... old-looking for her age.  
  
Okay, her fashion was just really terrible. But that was beside the point.  
  
"You just looked...a little sad, so...well, I was going to offer to buy you some lunch since you seemed to be alone and looking for something to eat."  
  
Huh? Was she for real?  
  
"Ah... Well, I'm not sure what kind of face I was making, but I'm not really sad, or anything."

She was immediately looking rather apologetic, sighing softly as she tucked a bit of stray hair behind her ear. 

"I'm sorry, I just happen to come here often and see you frequent this location as well. You're never with anyone so I couldn't help feeling a little inclined to offer something, though I'm not much company." She was procuring a rather polite laugh at her remark, gracing her lips with her fingers as she covered her mouth modestly. 

Aomine was at a loss, ears flattening somewhat and wondering only briefly if this was some elaborate prank, though nothing but the oddity of it all eluded to such. 

Sadly, Aomine wasn't exactly sure how to be polite. His tail curled and flicked, raising a palm to rub the back of his neck as he cleared his throat. 

"Sorry, do I know you?" It occurred to him as soon as he said it that it was quite rude, but little could be done to fix it. 

Luckily she only seemed amused by the exchange, her smile gentle and reassuring. 

"No, I'm sorry. I've just been an observer. I don't mean to frighten you at all." 

Aomine was quick to dismiss the statement, feeling terribly out of place as the stranger came across quite motherly and he hadn't much experience with the sensation. 

"Ah, you didn't frighten me..." He ventured to sound reassuring though he wasn't so sure he succeeded. 

At that, the stranger seemed to understand he wouldn't accept her offer for his own reasons, though she was determined he understand her desire to lend a helping hand if needed. Whatever kind of help that was; Aomine was unable to distinguish anything of it. 

She turned to walk away, though hesitated mid stride and remained still before decidedly turning back around to face him, all the while digging through the contents of her purse.

"I don't normally do this and it's not common, but... Ah- here~" she smiled as she produced what looked like a business card of sorts and presented it to the unsuspecting shifter.

Caught rather dumbfounded, Aomine was taking it reflexively before she was smiling a bit brighter and waving goodbye; this time not pausing to turn back and only offering pleasant expressions at him any time she happened to catch his eyes. Though such was few and in minutes she was gone from sight, leaving Aomine to wonder if what had just transpired was a figment of his imagination or not. 

"What the  _fuck_..." He murmured under his breath, blinking dazedly before looking down at the card in hand as though he couldn't even remember taking it from her. 

What the hell had just happened. 

Was he being scouted for something? Did this lady think he was broke and needed money or something?!

Maybe she was hitting on him.

He scoffed, face colored a bit pink as he turned over the card, musing that if that were the case, he was flattered, but she was not his type in the slightest. Definitely too old.

The fine print on the card was a bit difficult to read. What was with the fancy kanji?! Luckily for him there was a small hiragana translation beside it so he wouldn't have to exert too much in reading it. 

"' _Instinct to Heal_ '.... Instinctual therapy for struggling shif - oh, this is a crock of bullshit." With a wrinkle of his nose and a whip of his tail, he crammed the card deep into his jacket pocket, merely hanging onto it for lack of a trashcan to toss it out in. So she was looking at him like some sort of mopey charity case. Well he sure as hell didn't need any stupid sob sessions about learning how to deal with shifter instincts and emotions. That was for people who couldn't control themselves. If anything, he wanted more from his instincts lately. His instincts couldn't even point him in the right direction of his 'life partner'.  
  
"Tch...unless she wants to hook me up with a hot mate..." he trailed, his brows pulled together tight, his mind beginning to wander as his feet did the same. He didn't want to think about the interaction, but it did stir something a bit heavy in him.  
  
Did he really look upset to her? If that were the case and if it was something even a stranger could pick up on, what kind of message was he giving Satsuki?  
  
Sure, he hadn't exactly been feeling right as rain lately, but the last thing he wanted was to drag the pink-haired rabbit into things she didn't need to be concerned about.  _She's in the same situation as me, after all_...

As if on cue, he could feel a buzz in his pant pocket, along with the distantly familiar jingle of a text tone. He didn't communicate much with many, rather he only exchanged minimal conversation with Satsuki and the occasional message from one of his teammates. 

Folding his hands into the well of pant pocket, he plucked his phone from the insides and sniffed as he tugged stray bits of lint from the joints. He assumed to see Satsuki's name across the screen as he flipped it open and was almost shocked to find he was wrong. 

"Kise...?" He murmured aloud to himself, brows furrowing as he hadn't received a message from him in quite some time. It struck him odd, and more bizarre still was the rather cryptic manner in which Kise had mailed him. It wasn't like the blond to be so curt. 

_Aominecchi,_

_We need to talk. I gotta tell you something._

He had even left the subject blank which further teased Aomine's curiosity. He would have been concerned, but it wasn't like Kise was in danger, nor was it the first time the panther had come across the fox's dramatics. Rare as it was, Kise had his moments; Aomine simply hadn't taken the time to realize how long it had been since they had seen one another. 

Lazily tapping a message back with his thumb, he pocketed his phone once more and moseyed along his way. In the meantime, he would perhaps make a stop at the court and see if the little silver rabbit boy was ghosting about himself. He hadn't seen him in a while either. 

With a slight stone in his gut, he mused that maybe that lady was on to something.

He really didn't have friends to speak of, did he. 

Almost as if it was instinctual, Aomine pulled a yawn from somewhere deep inside and pointedly directed his thought elsewhere, feeling quite tired all of the sudden as he walked.

Cheap sukiyaki donburi alone, shooting hoops alone, even coming home to an empty house, parents at work and reading alone; it all left an especially sour taste in his mouth. This wasn't different...but it felt like it was. 

Damn...that lady had really gotten under his skin. It wasn't like it was all bad; no one was really challenging enough to play on the court, so he'd come to terms with playing alone. His parents were busy, not talkative people as it were, so that was all pretty much the same. To be fair, he wasn't all that bright in school, so it wasn't as if others wanted to study with him or made much conversation in general. His teammates had tried a little, but just being around them all, all playing the sport he couldn't enjoy anymore made it more irritating than anything. 

He’d felt content just lazing around, not having the parental supervision to worry about being stopped when he wanted to skip out on agonizingly long and dull classes or when he wanted to add to his collection of magazines.  He'd even commented on how people were suckers for having to deal with the day to day grind. 

But that woman - she had seen him as someone to be pitied, someone who needed help. 

Teeth grit together, he tossed his magazine into his desk seat, kicking dirty laundry out of the way to roll over onto his bed, one cheek pressed into his pillow and scowl creasing his brow. 

She had some damn nerve.

But the buzzing in his hand drew the bitterness from his mood almost immediately and despite knowing and expecting this particular phone call, he didn't avoid it. Any other day he might have just pocket stuffed it and saved himself some trouble. 

"Yeah?" it only took a moment before the yelling started, though he was quiet. He didn't make his usual disinterested grunts, though he couldn't exactly say he was listening. Satsuki was reaming him out something fierce for blatantly cutting classes...or practice...probably both. He held the phone close to the side of his head, quiet until she became quiet as well, giving a sharp accusation after a few moments of silence that he was sleeping or simply not holding his phone anymore. She became even more quiet when he actually spoke, all shouting stopping right there. 

"Satsuki...can you get something to eat with me tonight. Ah...actually you said something about your dad's birthday dinner, didn't you...?"

Despite her unarguably livid outbursts from before and the understandable frustration Aomine's lack of attention evoked, almost immediately, Momoi’s ferocity was quelled and she grew quiet. She was quick to catch herself, realizing she had not spoken and certainly only making her surprise obvious with her silence. 

"Yes--" She almost hiccupped, feeling foolish at the catch in her voice, though Aomine didn't seem to care or notice. "Tomorrow-  it's tomorrow. If you were listening." She was quick to chastise him again, but the fondness that lined her words cut out the edge it would have held otherwise.

Aomine hummed contemplatively, rolling on his bed a bit to get a good glance at the clock before hoisting himself from the comfort of his mattress and onto his feet; pressing the phone fitfully between his ear and shoulder as he lazily tugged on a pair of socks.

"Alright. I'll walk to your place." And that was all he said. Clicking the phone shut and not bothering to wonder if Momoi was upset about  his curt ending to their call, he pocketed the device and rummaged about for a lightweight coat to throw on. He knew, deep down, she didn't much care, even if she claimed she did. It was the other things that counted, really, though he supposed he'd apologize when he arrived about hanging up on her.

As it turned out, it was warm enough to go without the jacket, Aomine tying it to his hips and meandering his way to the bunny girl's house; a route he could walk blindfolded and backward if anyone challenged him to it.

He almost wished someone would. 

As expected, his apology was well received, the glimmer in Momoi's eyes as he did so giving it away as she feigned indifference but the bounce to her step made it all the more obvious still. She did well not to question his sudden desire to spend time with her, intuition keen over the years and especially so with the two she had grown up with. She waited for Aomine to start the conversation, whatever it may be, and would derive what she could from his limited confessions. 

"I'm gonna try to meet up with Kise." It was the first full sentence he said in almost half an hour and for a moment, Momoi felt compelled to gawk at him; pondering if that was the profound reason he had sought her out so suddenly. They stood beside a small park wedged between two busy intersections, immersed in a sea of people as they busied along the sidewalks around them.

She did well to compose herself, her ear twitching back, then forward as she regarded him. 

"Ki-chan? For anything specifically?" She hoped her question was enough to infer her perceptiveness. 

Even if it didn't, it seemed Aomine was looking for an excuse to express himself without initiating everything himself. He had his pride, however silly, and Momoi knew she had to coddle him at times.

"He said he wanted to talk with me - had something to tell me. Figured I should try to catch up anyway." He punctuated the statement with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulder and a palm raising to rub the back of his neck, attempting to dismiss whatever importance it harbored that may embarrass him. He was very easy to read at times, and Momoi found it somewhat endearing when she was reminded of how truly boyish he could be.

"You can come if you're not busy. Not sure when Kise will have the time - Eh...I'll text him again tonight. But I figured I'd tell you." Again, it was all spoken with a lazy, disinterested tone of voice, though the need to be surrounded by his friends at the moment felt particularly powerful...all  _two_  of them.

He hadn't even really kept up with what Kise was doing, though judging by the recent appearance of his face on the magazine rack, Aomine could guess what he was up to. One of his navy ears flicked and his hand raised instinctively to scratch the back of it, resisting the urge for once to lick the back of his hand and smooth it down. Momoi had gotten after him once or twice about impulsive grooming. Something about it being 'childish' for his age.

"Maybe he got himself another girlfriend. I thought he still had another one hanging around...He's really a piece of work." The irritated snuff that came from the panther was expected as the motherly girl beside him gave a sort of knowing smile. Aomine hated to be outdone, especially when it came to women. He had even tried to use  _her_  to one-up Kise when they were kids, but she'd have none of it. 

"Ki-chan is very popular. I'm not surprised he's had a few girlfriends. I only hope he's treating them well." She hummed contemplatively, though her expression wasn't truly troubled. He wasn't a cruel person, after all, but he could be cold without meaning too. 

She really had her hands full with these two. 

"Satsuki-" The tone of voice left her with a slight chill, feeling the mood change rapidly, but she had to wonder again if he'd been listening at all to her talk. Still, there brewed excitement at having the potential of him opening up after a long bout of silence. 

"Mmh?"

"...Have you found anybody yet?"

For a moment, she was still as she processed his question before immediately her face was contorting into something bewildered and she was folding her ears back a bit. 

"What, like... Like a mate?" Aomine was giving her a somewhat impatient look, as though his question had been obvious enough and her incredulity was unwarranted. 

Huffing, she muscled down the urge to spit her tongue out at him for being so disagreeable, but she had only recently gotten after him for being too childish himself. Her cheek puffed out while her white tail flicked in frustration. 

"It's not like we come from mated families so my question is perfectly valid! Don't act like I'm being unreasonable!" She folded her arms pointedly, popping one hip out to the side. 

"No, I don't have a mate yet; of course I would tell you if I did. There isn't anyone I really..." She looked thoughtful a moment before, all too suddenly, her face ripened and her posture became rigid. 

She was quick to try and maintain her composure, but Aomine was quicker to catch on. 

"Ah? What's with the doe-eyes?" He peered down at her, rather invasively as she was quickly pushing at his cheeks with both her hands to allow herself some breathing room. 

"Nothing! Not so close, Aomine-kun!" She made a point to refer to him formally, her face quite warm now.

"Eh? Don't call me in that weird way - You always say 'Dai-chan'." He scoffed, easily overpowering her pushing at his face as he poked at her sides, literally prodding her for more detail.

"So there is someone, huh? Doesn't matter if you're mating, you've got a crush~" Sometimes, his childishness was unparalleled. Obnoxious as it was, it had been a while since Aomine had shown such a side. She didn't have the heart to completely shut it down, but she wasn't going to be a complete victim to it.

"It's none of your business! Ugh -- you smell like old socks!! Don't hang on me if you're not even going to bother to wear clean clothes!! Geez!!" How he would ever survive in the adult world, she wasn't sure. He needed to hurry up and get a mate - one that would kick his ass into at least doing his own laundry. It was tiring being the only one to do it herself.

"We haven't even really spoken much! It's more like an admiration thing -- he's very sweet -- unlike  _some_  people!!"

Aomine stared a moment, seeming to ponder her words before he was holding out his hand in a manner to stop her in her tracks.

"Satsuki. We've been through a lot. But you're just a friend. I'm flattered, though."

For a second or more, Momoi was puzzled, staring at the dusky basketball player for the umpteenth time as she, once again, tried to understand where he was going. 

It clicked and she was gearing up her response. Even if she knew Aomine was joking, she would be damned if she allowed him to even think he could jest about such a thing with his insufferable personality. 

Briefly, she wondered how he had become so important to her. 

"Ugh!! Don't even joke, it's obviously not you! It's Kuroko-kun, you ignorant dolt!" She stamped her foot in emphasis, determined to undermine his cockiness to tease her as such, but as it appeared, she had played right into his trap; Aomine's eyes glimmering mischievously as he had hoped she would confess upon being goaded. 

She slapped a hand over her mouth, face flush as Aomine snorted triumphantly, brandishing a rare grin that unfortunately reminded the bunny girl why he had, in fact, become so important to her. 

"Is that so~? Who's the guy, have I met him?" There was something just a bit odd with Aomine's energy, but Momoi did not take note of it; preoccupied by his idiocies at it were. 

Regarding him in disbelief, her mouth and eyes were wide. 

"Are you kidding again, Dai-chan? Kuroko-kun...? The silver rabbit, the ghost on the court?" 

Aomine stared at her and did not respond a second before his countenance of jest and frivolity cracked to incredulity; appearing to have paired the face with the name. 

" _That guy_?!" 

Momoi hadn't the patience to deal with such an affair any longer, sighing wearily as her embarrassment had quickly dissolved. Shaking her head, she turned to continue onward without him. 

Aomine did not follow immediately, did not express the extent of his shock or why he was as stunned as he was. 

 _"I'm not obliged to remember but I doubt I'll forget someone as impressionable as you. Aomine-kun, however, most likely doesn't even remember_ my _name."_

He had truly forgotten. 

Drained of all his bizarre boisterousness and forced energy, he was left with a hollow feeling of whimsy and wonder. 

That damn kid was right; he wouldn't remember him - he hadn't. 

And all too suddenly, he was feeling so entirely disconnected.

He didn't realize he was falling behind until her voice was calling out, her steps paused and brows suddenly cinched up. Had she said something wrong? This couldn't be about the mating thing, could it?

"Dai-ch-"

"Satsuki-"

He was saying her name in seriousness today far too much to be comfortable. Was he really alright?

"...I wanna go see him the next time you hang out. You've been hanging out, right...?" His eyes were not focused on her. Instead, the dark blue was focused out to the side, looking at nothing in particular. But...wasn't that request a bit much? He wasn't going to try to play the big brother card on the rabbit boy, would he?

"Well - yes, but -- Dai-chan, you're not just going to supervise now that-" His head shook and her worry about that in particular dissipated. Otherwise...her general worry did not.

"I just wanted to say hi. We talked a couple times. He plays basketball too...even though he sucks so much it's painful to watch." He could see her puffing up in his defense out of the corner of his eye. "Maybe we could get Kise into a game with the four of us....eh...then again, Kise probably wouldn't really like that kid. And that guy might get bummed out if he plays against both of us. But maybe he and Kise could team up against me...but he'd probably complain..."

He was just muttering to himself now and about a topic she would have never guessed he'd bring up on his own. It was...unnerving. But still, he wanted to be around other people. He wanted to try to play basketball. That was something.

"I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to try. Kuroko-kun really isn't all that bad, you know. His team is fairly decent, I've heard. They won a tough game just recently." The way her words turned to near sing-song made her sound proud of the opposing team, proud of this boy she had apparently put her interest in. What was the team name again...? He couldn't remember that much, either. 

Regardless, Aomine almost felt desperate to salvage whatever time and company he could, Momoi taking note of his leashed hysteria and feeling something uneasy bloom inside of her. She did well to keep herself level, not letting on to her awareness of his very abrupt change in mood and took solace in the fact that, if nothing else, she could act as his anchor for the time being. 

"Dai-chan, just contact Ki-chan! I'll ask Kuroko-kun if he'd like to do something like that the next time I see him, okay?" She made it a point to keep eye contact as she spoke. 

Even still, Aomine had to process her words before they really sunk in, nodding as he took a large breath to steady his bristled nerves and continued to walk beside her as they moved along the sidewalk together. It was a strange and unsettling feeling, to be so heavily surrounded by others and feeling as isolated as he did. He would have paid little mind to it, were it not for that strange encounter, yet he couldn't deny the possibility that he would have come to such a sensation on his own in time.

He was grateful for Momoi's company, her soft chatter and exuberance distracting him for the time being before they finally parted ways. 

His walk home was muddled and foggy, his mind elsewhere though not anchored to anything in particular. He roughly bumped shoulders with someone in passing, only murmuring an apology after they called after him briefly.

He did not take note of the familiar way they stared at him as he meandered onward, assessing him curiously from behind before adjusting the frames of their specs and continuing on their way; pointedly ignoring the analytic inquiry of the energetic one accompanying them.

To say he was relieved to collapse onto his bed would have been an understatement. Aomine felt as though his body would buckle underneath him before he could get the chance; feeling exceptionally exhausted after his rendezvous with Momoi.

To save himself the dilemma of becoming troubled over the matter once more, he dug into his pocket and tugged out his phone, flipping it open to message Kise as he had intended a while before.

_Sure._

_Where you want to meet - usual place?_

He pressed send before contemplating if that was too nonchalant, his face screwing up a bit as he was annoyed at his own introspection and rolled over onto his side with a huff of frustration. 

If this was tied in with puberty, it sure as hell sucked. 

-

The tips of his fingers were becoming numb with the incessant thrumming that had been battering his desk top for the last seven or eight minutes. Despite a slew of forcibly nonchalant texts, the pale blue haired boy who normally occupied the seat behind him was still absent even when the final bell was so close to ringing. 

Kagami was, needless to say, on edge. 

It had been two full days he had been absent from school, something he was sure the teacher was informed about as 'Kuroko Tetsuya' hadn't even been in the verbal role call during his leave.  It didn't stop the large, antsy teen from worrying, even after reading over texts that read ' _I know my way there. Please don't worry. Focus on getting higher marks on your homework for today._ '

Considering the situation, he sure hadn't lost any of his nerve, that little punk.

But to say things hadn't changed at all, that would be a glaring overstatement. The student who had been hunted down in the gym and 'ravaged' by Kise Ryouta was the talk of the school. He sure as hell hadn't forgotten the name of that blond bastard, but knowing he was a famous model, as well as the 'ace' of his school, well it certainly did nothing to ease the tiger's nerves. It wasn't Kuroko's type at all....

Not to mention the kind of spotlight he was going to put in once it was all narrowed down to him as the famed fox's mate. It seemed like a lot of trouble he'd rather his best friend was spared...though even after two and a half days, he hadn't been pegged as the one. 

It really could only be attributed to that infamously weak presence his friends and close classmates knew him for. Kagami could only think of that to blame as he was currently watching a group of girls scratching off names from a list and aggressively reaching through their social networks to find the 'lucky girl' from their school. His brows furrowed more, his scowl deepening as a nearby classmate with a nerved expression scooched a centimeter further back from the agitated shifter. 

This seemed like a worst-case scenario at this point; Kuroko thrown suddenly into that mysterious phenomenon they'd been taught nearly all their lives, the point in your life where your own personal decisions don't matter and the card you get dealt shapes the rest of your days. 

Maybe it would be less of an impact if it had been someone soft and sweet, someone with similar interests. Not that he really condoned any of this bullshit with being tied to a stranger, but it simply would have been easier for him if it had been a quiet, pretty young woman with an interest in books and a strong personality. Perhaps even that pink-haired rabbit shifter he'd mentioned once or twice from another school. Anything seemed better than  _this._

He huffed, sputtering his lips a bit as he tried not to let his head fill up with negative ideas of what this prissy, high and mighty fox was really like, including potential 'side dishes' he could have despite being technically hitched with Kuroko. He just reeked of arrogance...

"Kagami-kun, with an expression like that, you're going to scare off-" 

The voice behind him didn't even get to finish as Kagami cut the air with a startled yelp, slapping his hand over his mouth just as a dozen pairs of eyes snapped back to him.

_Kuroko. Son of a-_

When the hell had he sat down?! Was he already a quarter of the way through a crossword puzzle?!

The red head nearly hunkered down over the blue eyed boy's desk, narrowing his eyes to observe as thoroughly as he could that this wasn't some intricate illusion his mild hysteria could have conjured. He could care less about those observing him in turn for his slight outburst, but he simply couldn't be bothered at the moment.

Kuroko met his steady gaze unwavering, even tilted his chin down just a bit and lifted his brows in inquisition, though said nothing to question. After a second or more, Kagami was sniffing loudly, finally leaning back a bit before palming the crossword puzzle and sliding it out from beneath Kuroko's fingers.

"Ah-" the shadow boy made to protest, but Kagami simply cocked a head toward him and interrupted.

"This is for making me worry, idiot." And turned to cast his shoulders toward the slight boy. The expanse of broad muscle left for little argument as Kuroko felt he was gazing at a wall instead of a back. He wasn't necessarily attached to the puzzle, but he wasn't fond of little games of power play; at least those that made use of his difference in physique.

He supposed it was simpler to say he didn't like power plays against him period; ones that he had no fighting chance against specifically. 

Kagami didn't much care, however, and knew he could weather Kuroko's frustration after all the pale boy had put him through. Not that Kuroko was much to fear in terms of agitation regardless. He was exceptionally mild mannered and if anyone was quick to anger, it was himself. He busied himself with folding the corners of the paper he'd stolen from his partner, tongue poked out in concentration and brows heavily knit. It was rather a comical spectacle, seeing someone as intimidating as he so focused on the delicacies of paper folding.

"...Kagami-kun, what are you doing?" Kuroko interrupted the hush, curiosity provoked enough and patience wearing thin as he tried to peak over the towering upper body in front of him; such proving fruitless and thus opted to lean to the side in attempts to weasel a peak between the redhead's arms.

Kagami was turning before Kuroko could get much of a good look and presented him the finished product. He plopped it atop Kuroko's desk in a manner of punishment, as though defiling Kuroko's crossword puzzle was a fair trade for his woes. 

Blue eyes ping-ponged between the paper and Kagami's crimson gaze a couple times before cupping it in hand and bringing it closer for inspection.

"What is it?" 

Kagami lurched, offended at the question. 

"An owl! Obviously." He huffed, cheeks somewhat pink as he knew he was no eloquent origami artist and his dexterity was otherwise really only talented with basketball, but there were a few animals he remembered from childhood, and it wasn't so obscure that it was unrecognizable. Kuroko was far more audacious than he let on.

Studying it from a few more angles in silence, it took Kuroko a solid five seconds or more before his brows raised in recognition and a little 'ah' followed to signify he finally saw said owl. Such only further infuriated the tiger shifter, knowing well that the rabbit was making fun of him and dropped a firm hand atop his head to tussle his hair roughly. 

"Kagami-kun, that hurts-" his monotone indicated little pain, but Kagami let up regardless. He kept his hand atop the phantom's head, however, and glowered at the boy from his angle above.

"Let's talk after school." He murmured gruffly. 

Kuroko cocked his head to the side, peering up through pale blue locks ruffled beneath the large palm of his friend. The hint of humility Kagami sported across his cheeks had the rabbit smiling just a bit; a blooming feeling of warmth in his chest. He'd certainly made his friend worry, he owed him some explanation at the very least.

"Alright."

-

When it actually came time for their talk, both walking side by side across Seirin campus with school and sports bags over their shoulders, it was evident Kagami didn't want to push the topic they both knew was up for discussion, though he still seemed expectant of answers.

Considering the length of time that had passed since he'd been back to school and club meetings, Kagami had every right to be eager, especially as the one who had helped Kuroko though the ordeal most. 

"You feeling up to practice tomorrow? You look alright." His voice was even, eyes only flicking once to inspect his small friend briefly before they were set strictly forward once more. 

Yes, his physical condition, in the very least, was in good shape. The marks were fading fast, though his pale skin left the evidence lingering for longer than he cared for. Mirrors had generally been avoided.

"Yes. I'm actually eager to get back to practicing. I feel a little rusty already, having all these days off."

"Good."

A bout of silence.

"Err...He, um...talk to you...at all?" It sounded like Kagami had a wad of cotton balls in his throat as he forced the words out as slowly as humanly possible, sounding as if it were physically painful for him to sound so neutral in his question.

 _Is that asshole even trying?_  Was the first phrasing he'd conjured up in his head.

"We didn't exactly swap numbers, Kagami-kun." With the way the tall shifter set his jaw and turned his head away, it seemed the logic was too sound to argue with, though he still wanted to say there ought to be a way to work around that if someone  _cared_  enough. The cement clacked under their street shoes as they exited to the small walkway that connected the gymnasium to the main building.

"You try to find his number?" Again, he sounded like he was chewing on his words as they came out.

"Contrary to popular belief, it's not exactly easy to find the personal number or location of someone famous."

Defeated by logic again, but this time his patience was beginning to boil thin. Kagami's lips were becoming loose in his anger.

"Still -- is he even trying to contact you?! I mean - you know names and schools -- For someone who just -- just up and had  _sex_  with you in a closet, you think y'know -- you'd want to talk about this!!"

"Kagami-kun." Kuroko's voice was firm and despite the soft tenor, evoked a stillness from the shifter as he'd immediately realized he'd said too much. Icy blues fixated on the tiger, steadfast.

There was something about being still after having misspoken, as though the more one did not move, the faster their iniquity would be absolved. Kagami remained paralyzed under Kuroko's gaze until the rabbit finally looked forward once more and the tiger took a breath he did not know he'd been holding. 

He would have apologized, had Kuroko not started speaking soon after.

"I know you have my best interest in mind. But some things are better processed from a distance." 

Wincing, Kagami was casting his gaze aside a moment in hopes to perhaps find some inspiration from his surroundings and respond with something self-assured and wise, though he could not. If he were to be honest, he was in a way quite glad the fox hadn't stopped by. There was a satisfaction he felt in being able to condemn the blond for his inaction, the possibility for ammunition against him helping placate Kagami's frustrations for the time being.

He realized, however, these thoughts were unusually cruel, and no matter how he wished it otherwise, Kuroko was bound to the amber eyed canine. 

"Plus, you've neglected to consider that this might be intentional on my part."

Drawn from his thoughts, Kagami flinched yet again as he felt himself backed into a corner.

"Well -- I know you're not exactly the social kind of guy-" Kuroko's expression was drawing a slight panic out of the tiger, not unfamiliar with saying unintentionally rude things when on the spot. "I mean, you're observant -  so if that's the case, you probably aren't contacting him because you feel he doesn't want you to...or...something..." as it came out, he realized how accusatory that sounded and was quickly trailing off, cupping the back of his neck and rubbing it in mild remorse.

He failed to noticed the look of surprise, though most likely would have missed it regardless as it was so quickly swallowed back into cool blue eyes and an even face.

"That's bold of you to assume." Kuroko retorted coolly, the tiger feeling he'd driven another nail into the coffin.

"...Sorry." He wasn't sure what else to say.

As it appeared, he needn't say anything else. Kuroko didn't seem terribly upset at the accusation nevertheless.

Though Kagami had wanted to have the talk to possibly settle the issue and somehow find answers for how this was going to be handled moving forward, he wasn't finding any resolution.

Yes, 'resolution' was the word he would use to describe it. This was a  _problem_. In his opinion, Kuroko had really gotten the short end of the stick. And these sort of things were supposed to last for life?! He wasn’t going to sit back and allow his close friend this kind of injustice. If anything, Kuroko was a genuine person who deserved an equally genuine mate. 

If this Kise guy wasn't going to get over his shock soon and try to start working things out, Kagami would consider stepping in himself. Couldn't be that hard to find this guy; he knew he went to Kaijou. He'd probably never forget his scent after nearly attacking him in the gym, either. Not that tracking someone down by scent was something he really wanted to rely on. Normal humans found each other in phonebooks or from online pictures or something, right?

Head turned away, his teeth tortured his bottom lip as he was completely sucked into his own thoughts again; discomfort and anger radiating as the shifter's aura was always the most present and palpable thing about him.

 _Damn, I probably don't have time with all our practices to try to find Kaijou....and then how would I really find that guy in the middle of another school? Maybe someone has his number...not that I really want to do this through text or email -- Dammit, I can't promise I won't punch him if I see him either after all those bruises on Kuroko –_  

His short fuse wasn't ideal in such an emotionally charged situation, especially regarding a topic he had the predisposition of rejecting with everything he had.

It was all too easy to read from Kuroko's perspective, something he found both troubling and amusing as his blues flicked to the agitated teen stomping along beside him.

Grateful as the silver rabbit was to have someone defending his honor so passionately, Kagami's outlook was very one sided and there were several other factors Kuroko was not exactly willing to confess to that were involved as well. The redhead was certainly impulsive, but he wasn't necessarily thoughtless. Even with his tendencies to be rash, Kuroko was quite certain his friend wouldn't seek trouble.

Of course, that didn't prevent the blue eyed shadow from decidedly forbidding Kagami from acting of his own accord. He would make sure to keep a watchful eye on the tiger shifter if it were to come down to it.

Coming up on the ever familiar street court, Kuroko was feeling the itch to play despite their rigorous practice regiment. The fence surrounding the asphalt remained encapsulated in verdant overgrowth, peppered with a few spatters of wildflowers that clamored the metal links like strings of little bells. 

The aroma was vibrant and sharp, a freshness that Kuroko coveted at the moment as his mind threatened to wander to less than favorable subjects.

"Kagami-kun." 

If the redhead had been amidst speaking, Kuroko was unsure, though the crimson-eyed alpha didn't seem to care regardless; picking up the change in mood around his friend.

"Let's practice for a bit." 

Kagami did not bother to ask why, simply snorted in a halfhearted attempt to feign reluctant compliance and gingerly pushed past Kuroko while slipping his duffle bag from his shoulder.

"No complaints when you lose." His voice was light and nonchalant and Kuroko smiled in spite of his whimsical melancholy.

"Right."

-

There was a perpetual echo of chatter fluttering all about the convenience store, a buzz of social energy and gossip that fueled conversations both hushed and exuberant alike. Chimes and tinkling clicks of currency after transactions ended, the shuffling of items along the shelves, the muffled music from the store speakers, it was certainly no place one would wish to idle were they an individual with a preference for solitude.

And yet there he stood, idling by with severe and calculating eyes gazing pointedly at a new magazine display while others filtered around in a flurry.

He received more than one odd look as he remained almost entirely still, contemplative and fierce with his stare while most others would take the time to remark enthusiastically about the new release in one way or another. It was easy to get swept into the powerful current of popular media and if anyone knew him well, he was rarely one who bothered with such contrite matters of pop culture.

Unfortunately for him, the one individual who  _was_ familiar made no bones about calling attention to the bizarre picture, rather made it his personal mission to highlight the hilarity even if no one else thought it amusing. Amidst reaching out to pluck the periodical from the shelf, he was startled to stillness as a voice cleaved the white noise surrounding him in two.

"Shin-chan! I never pegged you as the type to go after unattainable pretty boys, that's unexpectedly charming~!" The boisterous voice cooed before a fit of poorly stifled giggles followed suit.

Midorima Shintarou was not one to condone violence, but he was certain any god would forgive him were he to justifiably lash out at his cackling companion. Stubbornly retracting his out stretched hand, the tall boy with a head of forest green hair pivoted with purpose and made to leave the other behind; not without muttering a curse beneath his breath that highly contrasted the arguably regal composure his straight back and square shoulders eluded to.

"Eat shit, Takao." 

Midorima did not bother to observe their reaction, decidedly ignoring the disingenuous whining as it was almost immediately replaced with more sorely suppressed laughter. Head held high and lip upturned, the bespectacled boy marched out the door with only a curt nod to the clerk in parting, determined to leave his unwanted tag along behind after such a disgraceful display.  

He did not get very far, and perhaps that was something he knew would happen as he was well aware another store he frequented was just across the street and it would be illogical to pass up the opportunity to visit it whilst he was in the area. Once again, unfortunately for him, he was easily tailed though this time, he was spared the theatrics.

"Oh lighten up, Shin-chan~ I wasn't exactly lying, you know." Takao's smirk was detectable even in the faintest lilt to his tone, steely blue eyes gleaming mischievously as they tried to target elusive greens.

Midorima turned and glowered while Takao beamed; bulls-eye. 

A magazine coiled into a cylinder in Takao's fist was tapping against Midorima's chest playfully.

"You wanted this, right?" 

Despite himself, Midorima curled his fingers around the other end and Takao relinquished hold with yet another little grin. 

He was positively despicable, Midorima decided, and made it a note to really question himself later why he allowed the boy his company. 

With another quick pivot on his heel, he proceeded forward once more, feeling the bubbly presence of the cackling young man fall into place beside him while they crossed the smooth tar road, only briefly pausing for a mother and child atop a particularly loaded bicycle.

"Your lucky item isn't a magazine, or else I wouldn't even question your interests." The hum came from his left as he felt a curious gaze on his profile. The lack of giggles told him the curiosity was genuine, though he still didn't feel very inclined to divulge anything after the taunts. "So why the FineBoys magazine? Unless you really have developed an inter-" 

A small, yet throaty squeak cut him off as Midorima's fist clenched over the rolled up cover, causing his unwanted cohort to step back quickly and cover his head for fear of being whacked with it. The swing never came, though the reaction was certainly not unwarranted. Again, surprising to his outward appearance, the tall megane occasionally resorted to violence when pushed far enough.

"I know someone in one of the articles." The hand that held the colorful, semi-gloss pages of well-dressed young men loosened, head craning slightly to check for any oncoming traffic once again before crossing in strides, long and fast due to the length of his legs. "That's all."

"One of the models?" Grey-blue eyes widened as the one named 'Takao' seemed to be suddenly wrapped in surprise, even impressed that someone so stiff and aloof might know someone potentially famous. Of course, it was slightly redacted as he leaned back and scoffed softly in disbelief. "Or -- you probably meant one of the editors, right?"

"A model."

Their surroundings consisted of bustling side streets and clusters of little shops and restaurants adorning hand crafted signs and flowered displays. The streets were alive and colorful, yet even so, Takao couldn’t bother to be remotely awed in light of Midorima’s confession.

“ _Seriously_?” He scoffed with incredulity, though oddly did not truly doubt it for a second, hence the candid astonishment that glimmered in his eyes.

All Midorima did was spare a look over his shoulder, one of annoyance or exasperation or neither, before turning to gaze back down to the publication in hand.

Unfazed, the boy with inky black hair skipped a step or two closer to perhaps peer over Midorima’s shoulder, such proving a bit difficult while walking and earning a grunt of irritation from the boy with jade eyes. Again, Takao took it in stride and Midorima didn’t make to retaliate.

“So, which one do you know?” Takao pressed, curiosity an alive and breathing thing for him and never tired of exploiting his reluctant companion for gratification. It was a decent two minutes of silence that followed, and yet the nosy individual seemed to have tapped into the atmosphere of concentration, waiting patiently for an answer as Midorima scanned the pages with all the meticulousness of a scholar with his study.

Takao certainly didn’t expect to be assailed by the binding of glossy pages, squawking as his face was enveloped between pages twenty-seven and twenty-eight, the dietary suggestion for those eager to maintain good health and good skin.

“Page forty-two,” was Midorima’s sole reply as he adjusted his glasses back atop the bridge of his nose.

Seeming to have immediately forgotten being struck not seconds ago, Takao was flipping eagerly to the allocated pages and immediately upturned his brows at the spectacle.

“Double-page spread?  _Damn,_ Shin-chan, you didn’t tell me he was  _that_ famous~” He teased, snickering as Midorima curled his lip in disgust. Steely blues flicked back to scanning the page, whistling to indicate he was quite impressed with the model’s specs.

“He certainly is a looker; pretty mouth, pretty eyes…a shifter? Really?” He let out a laugh once more, though it sounded different than the ones previously. Perhaps a bit sincerer and a bit more excited as his eyes flared with mirth.

“Nice to see some representation for us folk~” He tittered, beginning to add a small skip to his step and a hum in between his review on the article.

“Speak for yourself.” 

Again, a small snort came from the direction of the shorter male, casting a sideways glance and a slanted smirk while his fingers steadily gripped the smooth pages. 

"Not everyone can have the luxury of unlimited representation like humans. I'll happily take what we can get~"

The set of Midorima's brows became heavier, finally meeting the gaze of the chatterbox beside him, however brief it would be.

"You're not a fox, so it doesn't even cater directly to you. Nor are you not human as well. I hardly think a model represents the lives of any average person. Looking to celebrities for representation is simply idiotic."

The comments, though they were met with a hum of acknowledgement, didn't seem to absorb in the slightest. Such was reinforced with the next, seemingly off-topic question.

"So were you classmates? Probably not friends - Oh -- maybe a crush you had?"

A flush of red swept just below the thick rim of his glasses. 

"Absolutely not -- We shared a team once. That is all."

Both sharp blues were drilling into him at this point, a toothy grin spreading far too wide to be within Midorima's comfort zone.

"So it definitely doesn't matter to you that this article says he might have a mate?" 

Seemingly fed up with Takao's witty wise cracks and delight at such an advantageous position in their limited conversation, Midorima was narrowing a sour gaze on the shorter, black haired male and promptly snatched the magazine away before any further information could be used as ammunition against him. He'd only just managed to quarantine his embarrassment to the shells of his ears as they glowed a rosy red, wishing to spare himself the consequence of Takao taking notice of a flush along his cheeks. 

"Wha-- Shin-chan~!" Takao cooed in mock disappointment, one cheek puffing out as he visibly pouted. Midorima's response was to simply increase his gait and keep his eyes fixed in front of him. 

Regardless of Takao's innate habit of meddlesome inquiry, he did not make to pester Midorima for the article and opted to tucked his fingers into the folds of his pant pockets. With a skip to his step, he was easily catching up to the emerald eyed oddball, the mischief back in the twinkle of his eyes as a grin coiled across his face and dimpled his cheeks. 

"So, how'd you meet him?" 

"None of your business." 

Entirely unperturbed, Takao began brainstorming aloud the possibilities concerning the potential details of their relationship until Midorima was forced to confess before any further wild accusations were made. Takao had little to fear in terms of actual repercussion. Midorima had a hard sucker punch, sure, but the abundance of amusement and unpredictable entertainment he offered was well worth the occasional blow to the kidney. 

Besides, learning that Midorima had met this model in a summer basketball camp and had been a particularly flashy and troublesome individual resulted in Takao already being quite fond of the pretty fox. He hoped to perhaps meet the long lashed 'spectacle' as Modirma described him with a sneer, and as farfetched as such may had appeared to others, the steel eyed shifter could tell in the well-masked penchant of his companion's tone that it was quite likely they would meet soon.

With callous resolve, Takao did not reveal to Midorima why the skip to his step was more chipper or why he felt the need to hum jubilantly to himself all the while. He just couldn't shake this undercurrent of excitement he felt was just beginning to ignite. 

Takao always had quite the keen sense for interesting developments.

Case and point; Midorima Shintarou. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Len: Thank you all SO much for your patience!! I'm so sorry it took so long, but this is the last chapter we have backed up. We're still working it out but I hope this was at least a little enjoyable and explained a few things. I hope everyone had a happy Fourth and or weekend for those who do not live in the US! Please tell us what you think of the story of the chapter, we love feedback from you guys!


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